The Destruction of Steve McGarrett
by SEALteamsteve
Summary: Steve's family is in grave danger as a foe from his past returns      ****** WARNING - Character Death
1. Chapter 1

"_**Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while and leave footprints on our hearts and we are never the same"**_

Steve McGarrett came bounding into the office early Wednesday morning with a smile even broader than usual.

Danny looked across the table to Chin and Kono and then back to his partner who was sipping his coffee. "I think you've had enough caffeine Steven, what in the world could have you so happy at six thirty in the morning"

"Danny my friend, you are no longer the only parent of this quartet"

"CATHERINE'S PREGNANT! Wow Babe, congratulations, that's awesome news!" Danny stated, "All I can say is it's about time brother!"

"We've been practicing partner, practicing"

They all laughed, exchanged hugs and chatted about the upcoming new addition to the McGarrett, and Five-0 family. Steve and Catherine had been happily married a little over two years now and six months ago Catherine had retired from the Navy and she was now working as a military recruiter. They had settled into a routine and the next natural step had finally happened….they would soon be parents.

"So how far along is she?"

"Eight Weeks Kono. I tell you guys there's no better feeling than this"

"Take it from me buddy there is. When they put that screaming little bundle into my arms for the first time...man, THAT, that was the best moment of my life. Nothing will ever be the same for you Steve and I couldn't be happier for you"

"I can't wait Danny. I'm going to enjoy every minute of this"

"Yes you will, yes you will"

Several weeks later the group was sitting around a table at a restaurant terrace sharing dinner and wine, celebrating a drug bust that had taking out an up and coming drug cartel on the big island.

After dinner Steve held up his glass, "Catherine and I would like to share some news with you all. We found out earlier today that we're having a son" The pride showed on Steve's face as he spoke those words...a son! Because of his relationship with Gracie he had deep down been hoping for a little girl of his own, his own little angel but when the Doctor had told them it was a boy he couldn't believe the sense of pride and joy that overwhelmed him. I guess when it got right down to it, a healthy baby was all he wanted, the sex didn't even matter.

The group toasted to the joyous news. Danny sat, staring at his partner and grinning. Steve caught his eye, "What partner?"

"Another male McGarrett, can this world handle it?" They all chuckled and sat visiting for several hours celebrating the good news.

As they were walking to their cars Kono asked, "How many weeks along are you now Catherine?"

"Twenty three…I just can't wait. I'm so excited to meet him"

"The day will be here before you know it. Good Night now, it was wonderful seeing you"

"You too Kono, Good night"


	2. Chapter 2

Danny reached blindly for the phone on his night stand. Seeing Steve's number on the screen he glanced at the clock, three o'clock. Bringing the phone to his ear, he spoke wearily, "Steve…..what's up?"

"Da….aann..o…..hhellp….Dann…oo" Steve's voice was so soft that Danny could hardly hear him.

"Steve, hold on buddy…I'm on my way…hold on" He was calling Chin and Kono as he threw his pants on and raced from his apartment. They all arrived at the McGarrett home within seconds of each other. Drawing their guns, Chin moved to the back of the house as Danny and Kono moved towards the front door. They shared a worried glance as their flashlights hit the door. It was open half way and there were bloody handprints on the door. As they entered the living room a lamp was overturned and broken on the floor. Sweeping the lights across the room they noticed nothing else out of place in the tidy home. To their right, Chin came from the kitchen, "All clear". They turned their lights to the steps and Kono gasped at the sight of the bloody footprints on the light tan carpeting. They went swiftly from room to room until they came to the master bedroom. They swept their lights across the room noting the blood stained sheets and pillow. Certain no one was in the room, Chin flipped on the lights and instantly they spotted Steve's bare feet on the floor at the end of the bed. Danny raced over and looked down on his injured partner.

His hands were bound behind his back and his feet were also bound. He was dressed only in boxers and blood pooled on the carpet under his chest. His face was turned to the side, his cell phone lay close to his mouth. He was deathly still and pale, he had a deep, bloody gash above his eyebrow and his face was bruised. Danny knelt at Steve's side feeling his neck for a pulse. "He's alive…..Steve…Steve, wake up buddy"

"Daanoo…Cath…..where'sss Caathh?"

"Hang on buddy, let us get these ropes off you" Chin worked on the feet as Danny untied his hands.

"Daanny…wwhere's Cath?"

Rolling Steve onto his back they noted the bullet wound in the left shoulder, Steve was struggling to sit. "Stay calm buddy, we don't know where Cath is. We'll find her though. Let us take care of you first here now, we're going to get you to the hospital"

"NNOO…..nnoo hospital….Dannyyy…"

"Steve, you've got a chunk of lead in your body, if we don't get that out soon you'll get infected and you will die. What good will you be to Cath and the baby then, huh?" "

No ttimme for the…..hhospi..tal…..Daanyy…you take….iittt outtt"  
>"What are you talking about, I can't take that out?"<br>Steve turned to Chin, "Chinnn, would you…..ppp…leasee take this bb…bullet out…ssoo I CAN GO FINNDD MMY WIIFEE!"

Chin looked at Steve, then Danny, "Yes boss, I can remove it"  
>"Are you two insane? This isn't the damn wild west Chin!"<br>"DDanny…..I'm llosing a lot….of bbllood…sttopp wasting ttimme….and let's ddoo this"

Chin added, "Danny, I've done this before"  
>"Oh great…just great…..you've DONE this before…..is that supposed to make me feel better?" Running his hand across his face he looked at Steve and added, "What do I need to do?"<p>

Chin sent Kono from the room to boil water and get the needed supplies as the two detectives lifted Steve and carried him to the far side of the bed. Following Chin's instructions, Danny sat at the head of the bed and they positioned Steve in his lap. As Danny held a shirt tightly to the wound Steve spoke softly, his voice pained not only by the physical wounds he had suffered but even more so for the fear he felt for his beloved wife and son. "Four men…..Asian…..I didn't hhear…..them 'til…it was too ll..late"

Chin squeezed the injured man's hand, "Try to relax now bro…..we'll talk later"  
>Steve's breathing became very rapid as the urgency of the situation began to sink in.<p>

His head was resting against his partners' chest and Danny spoke soothingly into his ear, "Slow down your breathing buddy. We're all here for you, just relax"


	3. Chapter 3

Kono returned with boiled water, knives, cloths, towels and bandages, needles and thread and a bottle of whiskey. She handed Danny a bottle of water and he gave Steve a drink, "Maybe we should give him a slug of the whiskey"

Steve spoke, "Nooo…nnott gonna' ddrinnk"  
>Chin added, "It's for sanitizing the wound" He rolled up a washcloth and placed it in Steve's mouth, "Okay boss here we go. Bite down hard. I'll get this done as quickly as possible" Steve nodded understanding and he again began to breathe rapidly as he braced himself for the pain to come. Chin continued, directing Kono to sit across Steve's legs, "Okay guys hold him as still as possible" As the whiskey hit the wound Steve's back arched in pain and his head lunged forward and then slammed back against Danny's chest, "HOLD HIM TIGHT !"<p>

Danny tightened his grip around Steve's chest pulling him firmly back against his body and with other arm he held the man's forehead, pinning him against his shoulder. "Hold on Steve, I've got you buddy…relax"

As Chin began to probe for the bullet their leaders muffled moans increased, Danny continued talking to him, "You're doing great babe. Just concentrate on your breathing Steve, slow down…in…..out…..in…out…that a boy, good job Superman…breathe slow" Steve's head and face were drenched in sweat and tears as he battled the intense pain. After several minutes of digging the cloth fell from Steve's mouth and the screams of agony that filled the room cut to all their hearts. Danny silently prayed that Steve would pass out….he wondered what kind of torturous training Navy Seals went through that gave them the strength to endure pain such as this. Tears filled his eyes and using a cool damp cloth, Danny wiped his friends head and face as he continued to talk softly, encouraging him to hold on.

Thankfully Chin was able to get to the bullet a short time later, "Got it boss…."  
>"You hear that buddy, Dr. Kelly did it. He's almost done now, you just hang on"<br>Chin looked to Steve, "We've got a bleeder here boss, I'm going to need to do some stitching inside"

Steve spoke quietly, "Nnooo CChiin…cauuterizze man…..cauterizeee"  
>Danny held up a hand, "Whoa whoa….I'm beginning to believe you really do enjoy pain Steven, but cauterize?"<br>"Yees…cauteriizze will bbee better"  
>Danny looked to Chin, "Danny he's right. If we cauterize we'll limit the risk of additional bleeding. To sew these vessels, I'd have to open him up more to get better access"<br>"This is going to hurt like hell, you know that?"  
>Steve again spoke, "Danno…it's okaayy…do it…..pleassee…do iitt"<p>

Chin turned to Kono, "Cous' I need a piece of thin metel and a lighter"  
>"Like a radio antenna maybe"<br>"Yes, that would be perfect"  
>"In….the ddennn…Kono"<p>

The young detective raced from the room and as Danny held a towel tightly to the wound Chin began to work on cleaning the gash on Steve's eyebrow, "This is going to need stitches too brother"  
>Kono was back in the room quickly and they again took their positions. Chin had Kono hold the lighter to the metal heating it and then he began to work on stitching the eyebrow. His eye was blackened and had swollen shut. It took several stitches to close up and then he added, "Boss your cheek is bruised badly and your nose is broken, take a deep breathe and I'll set that for you"<p>

"K…thanks brother"  
>As the nose crunched back into place in Chin's grasp, Danny chimed in, "Oh God….that sounds horrible" Chin placed two thin bandage strips across the bridge of Steve's nose and after finishing cleaning the dried blood from his face he turned his attention back to the shoulder.<p>

They all took their positions and after placing the cloth back in Steve's mouth Chin steeled himself for what he had to do. His eyes were closed and nervous sweat beaded his forehead, he knew how much pain he was about to inflict on his friend and his hands were shaking. Danny talked to him calmly, "Chin, its okay brother…you've got to do it…..just take a deep breathe, calm down and do it"

Chin nodded acknowledgement and as he placed the burning metal against the torn vessels it was finally more than Steve could bear and his screams stopped as he surrendered to the darkness and passed out. Danny continued to hold him tight, "Chin, he's just passed out, keep going brother…..get it done"  
>The smell of the burning flesh filled the room and was horrific. Kono could no longer contain her emotions as tears flowed down her cheeks. Fortunately the process only took a few minutes and then Chin moved quickly to sew up the wound. Once done, the tension of the events overwhelmed Chin and he threw the antenna across to room and he raced out the door.<p>

Danny looked at Kono, "Sweetheart, are you okay?"  
>She spoke as she wiped the tears from her eyes, "Yeah…..yeah sorry"<br>"Kono don't be sorry. We're taking care of our boy, doing what's got to be done"  
>"I've never seen anything like that in my life…..the burning…."<br>"I know babe…its over. Now we've got to be strong for him and find Catherine okay?"  
>"Of course Danny. What do you need me to do?"<p>

"He's lost a lot of blood, can you bring up some juice, cookies or fruit and see if you can find maybe some iron pills and B2 vitamins. We need to help him replenish his blood"  
>"Sure Danny" Kono left the room, running into Chin in the hallway as he was exiting the bathroom. They embraced, "Are you okay cous?"<br>"Yeah Kono, I'm fine now"  
>"Can you check the bathroom cabinets for iron pills and B2 vitamins. We need to work on replenishing his blood supply"<br>"Sure" The parted and went in search of the products to help Steve.


	4. Chapter 4

When they returned to the room, Steve had regained consciousness and was sitting on the edge of bed sipping on bottled water as Danny was bandaging his shoulder.  
>Steve looked at his team, "Thank you all"<br>Kono handed him a package of ginger snap cookies and a tall glass of orange juice, "No thanks Kono….I can't eat"

Danny then spoke, "Steve, take the cookies and juice. It's going to help replenish your blood. Chin did you find anything"

Chin handed Danny bottles of multivitamins, iron pills and Advil. "Good, good man" Danny took pills from each of the bottles, "Here Steve, take these" Steve decided there was no sense in arguing with his partner and he took the pills washing them down with the orange juice as he nibbled on a cookie.

Danny was pacing in front of him, "Okay Steve, it's a little after five o'clock. Whoever's got Catherine doesn't have too big of a jump on us. Tell us everything you remember"

"I don't know how they got in the house, how they disabled the alarm…by the time I sensed their presence and moved for my gun it was too late. They shot me and told me they would kill Catherine if I didn't do as they said. I didn't recognize any of them Danny….."

"And there were four men, all Asian?"  
>"Four that I could see"<p>

"Did they say anything man that would give you any clues as to what they wanted?"  
>"No…damn it no….Oh my God…Oh my God"<p>

Steve's voice was shaking with fear and Danny moved to him, kneeling at his side and placing a hand on his knee. "Steve, I know you're scared…..we all are. We have to stay calm and think clearly. We're going to find her partner. I promise you we'll find her. Now think babe, tell us everything they said"

Steve's eyes were closed as he struggled to compose his thoughts and remember the details. Danno was right, he had to push his fears aside and rely on his training and instincts…..his entire life depended on it.

"They spoke very little….God help me I just don't know!" They all stood in silence until several minutes later Steve's cell phone rang.  
>Grabbing his phone from the floor, Kono brought it to Steve, "Unknown caller"<p>

Placing the phone on speaker, he took a deep breathe, "McGarrett"  
>"Mr. McGarrett. I'm happy to see you've freed yourself"<p>

The color drained from Steve's face as he instantly recognized the voice, "Wo-Fat…..if you lay one hand on my wife, I swear to God, I'll kill you"

"I am on your hit list already Mr. McGarrett and I am no longer willing to play games. I have your beautiful, pregnant wife and I want to know right now….who is Shelburne?"

"Wo-Fat, please don't hurt her. I'll meet with you…."  
>Steve was cut off in mid sentence, "I TOLD YOU, NO MORE GAMES MCGARRETT" and with that the call disconnected.<br>"WO-FAT, WO-FAT !" Steve screamed frantically into the phone.

"Steve, calm down partner"  
>"Danny…what have I done…oh my God…..I've killed my family"<br>"No, No…..he'll be calling you back. He said no games, but that exactly what he's doing…..he's playing a game with you"

Chin added, "Next time he calls, you tell him brother"  
>"He'll kill Joe if I tell him, you know that"<p>

Danny looked to his partner, "Steve, you don't have a choice in this. We'll do everything we can to find Joe and protect him but right now what choice do we have? Right now buddy, I think you should get dressed and let's get in to the office. We'll have Kono try to draft sketches of the men, maybe we can get a lead on where they've been spotted hanging out. Chin, can you stay here and test for prints?"  
>"Yes"<p>

Their thoughts all turned back to Steve as stood up from the bed and staggered forward. Chin grabbed him, keeping him from falling, "Steady brother….you're alright"

Danny came and took his partner's other arm, "I'll help you out here brother"  
>Chin and Kono left them and went downstairs to get their lab kits from the car.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

An hour later at the office, Danny watched as Steve and Kono worked on the sketches of the thugs. Danny kept setting juice, water and cookies in front of him, urging him to eat and drink.

Danny had slipped into his office to call Governor Denning and Rachel to fill them in on what was happening.  
>Chin returned a short time later with two viable fingerprints. They moved quickly to run the prints through the system.<p>

As they were waiting Chin looked to Danny, "Has he called back?"  
>"No…..nothing"<br>He looked through the glass at Steve and Kono, "How's he holding up?"  
>"He's keeping busy right now. But he keeps glancing at the clock. He's worried"<br>"Danny I've got a really bad feeling about this. It's been more than two hours since his last call"  
>"Chin, I feel so damn helpless" They looked back to the screen as the identity of one of the men flashed across the screen, "Chin, go get Steve"<p>

Steve came racing into the office, "Danno who is it?"  
>"His name is Kenta Nori. Is he one of the men?"<br>Steve looked closely at the screen for several seconds before responding, "He's the man who shot me. Did you find any other prints?"

"One other Steve. The system is still searching" Seconds later the system beeped, "Here he is, Shouta Daiki, do you recognize him?"  
>"Yes…Kono can you run backgrounds on these two?"<br>"You got it boss"

As Kono left the room, Steve's phone rang stopping her in her tracks.  
>"Wo-Fat. I want to speak with my wife"<br>"McGarrett, you have no bargaining power with me. Now I'm going to ask you again, who is Shelburne?"  
>Steve looked over to Danny who simply nodded. After taking a deep breath he closed his eyes, tipped his head back and stated with a steely voice, "Joe White is Shelburne, now l need to talk to my wife"<br>"McGarrett there are penalties for not cooperating. You knew of Shelburne three years ago in North Korea and now you will pay for withholding that information from me"  
>"Wo-Fat please…..please don't hurt her. She's innocent in this. This is between you and me"<br>"If you want to speak with your wife, you had better hurry. You will find her at the place of our first meeting" The phone went dead and Steve turned and raced out of the office followed closely by his team.

"Where are heading Steve?"  
>"Green Haven golf course, the eleventh hole"<br>Danny drove with Chin and Kono on their tale.  
>"Faster Danno…..please…."<br>Danny had no idea what to say. Wo-Fat's words had terrified all of them and he only hoped they could get their in time.

In the truck, Kono contacted HPD to have them meet them at the scene. Chin looked over at her, "Kono I think you should call to have an ambulance sent as well" Kono nodded and made the call.

It was a ten minute drive to the golf course and as they arrived and Danny drove across the course towards the eleventh green he glanced over at his partner. He prayed that his gut feeling was wrong and that they would find Catherine safe and tied up in the neatly wooded area next to the small pond on the fairway. Golfers stopped their games and watched in stunned silence as the vehicles came to a stop at the edge of the woods.

Steve was out of the car and racing into the woods before the car even came to a full stop. "CATH….CATH…."  
>He saw her in moments. She was lying on her side next to a large rock, her back to him. He was at her side, on his knees, in seconds with Danny right behind him.<br>He gently rolled her over into his arms, "Catherine….baby"  
>Danny's heart sank as he saw the wound. Catherine had been shot in the chest and she was horribly pale.<p>

"Cath, baby I'm here. Open your eyes sweetheart" He was tenderly stroking her cheek as her eyes slowly opened.  
>"Steevee….ohhhhh Steeeve"<br>"Yes baby, I've got you now. You're going to be fine…"

Chin and Kono had now reached Danny's side, "An ambulance is on the way Danny"  
>Danny moved to his partners' side, "The ambulance is coming Steve"<br>"Help is on the way sweetheart, you just stay with me now. I love you Catherine"  
>"Oh Steve….you'rree fface"<br>"I'm fine sweetheart, sshhhhhhh don't talk now…..sssshhhhhh"  
>"The baby….Sttevee, thhe bbabby"<br>"Hey, both you and the baby are going to be fine…..Cath…I'm so sorry" Steve tenderly kissed her cheek.  
>"It doesnnn'tt huu..uurt Steve"<br>"Good…that's good honey"  
>"Sttevee, promise mmee…..save the bb..bbaby"<br>"The baby's going to be fine and so are you honey…..oh God I love you Cath" Tears were streaking down Steve's cheeks.  
>"Steve…..don'ttt cc..cry. The lassstt two yearsss with youu…I've never bb…bben happier…I llovve you"<br>Danny turned away as his eyes burned with tears. Catherine McGarrett was dying.


	6. Chapter 6

Steve was cradling his wife, continuing to talk softly to her as with his other hand he pushed firmly on the wound in an attempt to staunch the bleeding. Cath had become quiet and Steve knew she was going into shock. "Baby, come on now…..I need you to look at me….open those pretty eyes for me"  
>Her eyes again slowly opened, "Stteve…..so ttired…..I'm ssooo ttired"<br>"You can't sleep yet Cath. I need you to stay with me…." He was struggling to maintain his composure not wanting to frighten her. "You're so strong baby, you're going to be just fine"

The ambulance had arrived and as the paramedics came towards them, Danny placed a hand on his partners' shoulder, "Buddy the ambulance is here"  
>"Help's here now Cath, hang on baby"<br>"Steeevve…I'm scarred…."  
>"Don't be scared sweetheart. I'm here with you…I love you baby"<p>

The paramedics reached their side and spoke with Steve as they began taking her vitals. "Sir, how far along is she?"  
>Without taking his eyes from his wife he responded, "Five and half months….twenty three weeks"<p>

Catherine cried out, "SSTTEVEE….SSTEEVEE"  
>"I'm right here Catherine, I've got you….sssshhhhhh"<br>The paramedic spoke to Steve, "Sir, we're going to move onto the stretcher now" Danny moved in to help as well and they lifted Catherine as smoothly as possible as Steve cradled her head talking softly to her as she cried out in pain.

Once on the stretcher the paramedics moved swiftly to try to stabilize her, hooking her up to an IV and monitors. "Sir, do you know her blood type?"  
>"Uhhh yeah….she's B+" He turned back to Cath kissing her tenderly, "I'm here baby….I'm here"<br>Danny looked over to Chin who was holding on to Kono, the pained look of fear and shock was evident on both their faces. He then turned back to his partner. His mind brought him back to last night and the joy and pride on Steve's face as he told them he was having a son. Catherine had brought a peace to Steve McGarrett and watching his frantic partner cling to the woman he adored, Danny feared for his dear friend.

They didn't waste any time and in minutes they had Catherine and Steve were in the ambulance racing towards the hospital with Danny and Chin driving close behind.

Inside the ambulance they had started a blood transfusion immediately. Steve sat talking to her, encouraging her. They were minutes from the hospital when Catherine placed her cold hand on her husband's cheek. He took her hand in his and kissed it as she spoke softly, "I love you baby". Her eyes closed and the machines began to beep wildly as Catherine's heart stopped.

The paramedics pushed him out of the way as they began their resuscitation efforts. Steve stood watching in horror as his wife and baby were dying in front of his eyes and he was helpless to do anything about it. He raised his blood soaked hands to his head, running them through his hair. His eyes were open wide, his mouth agape. He quietly spoke, pleading with God to not let his family die.

The EMT's were still working feverously on Catherine as they arrived at the hospital and transported her into the ER. Danny had stopped directly behind the ambulance and he raced in behind the stretcher and his partner.  
>The Nurse stopped Steve at the ER door and he tried to push past her. Danny grabbed him from behind, around the waist, pulling him back.<br>"Steve, stop man…..let them do their job buddy…..she's in good hands, she's in good hands"  
>Steve pulled from his partners' grasp and turning he placed his forehead and hands against the cool tiled wall he softly sobbed.<p>

Danny waited, giving his partner a couple of minutes before approaching him. He placed a strong hand on Steve's shoulder and spoke softly, "Steve, let's move to the waiting room okay partner?" Steve pushed himself from the wall and he staggered, his weakened body betraying him. Danny grabbed him around the waist, steadying him. "Whoa babe, I got you" Without speaking Steve leaned against his partner and they made their way to the nearby waiting room.

Chin and Kono were in the waiting room already and quickly moved to help Danny as they guided Steve to a nearby chair. Kono moved to the vending machines and purchased an orange juice, opening it and handing it to Steve. He nodded and raised it with a shaky hand to his mouth.  
>Steve was covered in his wife's blood. His shirt soaked, his hands, face and hair…..Danny sat in a chair next to him, his hand on his partner's neck, rubbing and squeezing it in a soothing manner. No one spoke. No one knew what to say. Steve McGarrett was family and that made Catherine and their unborn child family. They watched their friensd and they all wondered how Steve would survive if Catherine didn't make it.<p>

Several minutes passed before Danny spoke, "Steve, let's get you to the bathroom and clean you up partner"  
>Chin added, "I'll go grab a clean shirt from your car"<br>"No….no…I can't leave here…have to wait"  
>Danny responded, "Babe, the bathroom's right down the hall. Kono can come get us if the Doctor comes out. Let's clean you up so you don't scare her when you can see her, okay?"<p>

Kono leaned and kissed Steve's forehead. Danny then helped him to his feet, and they made their way to the bathroom.


	7. Chapter 7

Standing at the sink, Steve stared at the basin as his wife's life blood washed down the drain. Danny stood outside the door waiting. Chin arrived a few minutes later with a clean tee shirt and their eyes met. "What are we going to do Danny?"  
>"The only thing we can do brother, just be there for him"<br>Steve came from the bathroom holding the soiled shirt in his hands. Chin took it, handed him the clean shirt and they made their back to the waiting room.

About twenty minutes later the Doctor entered the room. Steve was sitting with his head in his hands, staring at the ground. Spotting the Doctor, Danny placed a hand on Steve's forearm.  
>Steve looked up, and standing, he moved quickly to the Doctor followed by his team.<br>"Doc….how is she?"  
>"Mr. McGarrett, I'm sorry…..I'm very sorry"<br>The words staggered Steve and if Danny and Chin had not been there to hold him up he would have collapsed in a heap.  
>"Mr. McGarrett I need you to listen to me very carefully. We were able to revive your wife but there is no brain activity. We have her on life support and we need your approval to do a cesarean section to try and save your baby. We have to move quickly"<br>"He can…survive?"  
>"We'll do everything we can for him, I promise you"<br>"Yes….oh yes…do whatever…..you need to do….Doc, don't remove…..her from life…..support…don't do it"  
>"I'll be back soon" The men shook hands and the Doctor turned and left the room.<br>Kono was shaking as tears streamed down her cheeks. Chin pulled her into an embrace as Danny tightened his grip on his partner, "Steve…we're so sorry…so very sorry"  
>Steve continued to stare straight ahead as if not hearing as Danny continued, "They'll do everything they can for the baby Steve"<br>"John….." Steve spoke so softly, his voice cracking as he spoke the name.  
>"What Steve?"<br>Still staring straight ahead Steve repeated, "John….our son's…. name… is John…John Daniel McGarrett….oh God….Danno why?" Steve began to shake as the news sunk in that his beloved wife, his soul mate was gone. Suddenly he collapsed to his knees and Danny dropped, pulling the sobbing man to his chest.

After several minutes Chin handed Steve a bottle of water and the men helped him to his feet, Chin spoke softly as he embraced Steve, "I'm sorry brother"  
>Steve turned and embraced Kono and then looking at his team, he struggled to speak, "Thank you….Catherine…she loved you all….very much"<br>They all made their way over to a nearby table and sat to wait.

The Doctor joined them a short time later sitting across from Steve. Kono took hold of Steve's hand as he spoke, "How's my son Doc"  
>"He's alive. He's been transferred to the NICU. At this stage of development our biggest concern is his lung development. We have him in an incubator and on a respirator. He's tiny, very tiny…..one pound, one ounce, and eight inches long"<br>"That's so small…"  
>"It is. I need to be totally honest with you. Your son's chance of survival is only about 20% due to his small size. A preemies struggle to breathe can cause great stress to the heart"<br>"Can I see him?"  
>"Of course, you'll be able to see him and touch him"<br>"Thank you….Doc, Catherine…..she's on life support…..can she…..can she recover?"

"I'm sorry Mr. McGarrett, but no…she has no brain activity at all…we kept her on life support in order to give the baby a chance for survival…I'm sorry but there is no hope for recovery"  
>"I need to see her…before….before you take her…off…"<p>

"Of course, I'll send a nurse in to bring you to her soon and you can take all the time you need"  
>Steve stood and shook hands with the Doctor, "Thank you Doctor"<br>Danny looked to the others, "I'll stay here with Steve. Can you two head back and start tracking the whereabouts of Nori and Daiki and keep in touch with us"  
>"Danno, I'm alright….you can go back to the office…."<br>"Don't even go there brother, I'm not leaving you alone"

Chin added, "We'll call you with any updates boss. We'll find these bastards" Chin and Kono stood and after embracing Steve they left him with Danny.

The nurse came and led them to Catherine. Danny stood outside the room as Steve entered. He watched through the window as his partner moved to his wife's bedside leaning down to gently kiss her.

Steve softly caressed his wife's cheek, "I love you baby..." His voice caught in his throat as his emotions overwhelmed him. It took several minutes before he could go on, "You did it sweetheart, you delivered John...the Doctors are taking very good care of him..." Tears were streaming down Commander McGarrett's face as the reality hit him, the love of his life was gone.

Danny watched his partner from the window and his heart ached for his friend. He would have to be strong and stand by Steve through this but for now Danny Williams also wept, for Catherine, for little John and for Steve. He knew that today's events would forever change Steve McGarrett.  
>About twenty minutes passed before the the Doctor arrived and he and Danny entered the room.<p>

Steve looked up, his face pale and puffy from crying and from the beating he had endured. He simply nodded to the Doctor and stated quietly, "It's time"  
>With that acknowledgement the Doctor moved to the bedside and shut off the life support. The only sound that remained was the beeping of the heart monitor as Steve cradled Catherine in his arms talking to her softly, "I'll take good care of John baby...he'll always know you, I promise...I love you Cath"<br>It took less than two minutes and she was gone. The Doctor quickly shut of the heart monitor and he and Danny left the room as Steve held his wife to his chest and sobbed.

Danny waited, pacing the floor outside the room. Steve came out about half an hour later and Danny moved to his side pulling him into a strong embrace.  
>"I'm sorry buddy...oh God I'm so sorry"<br>After several seconds Steve pulled away, "I need to see John"  
>"The nurse told me we just need to go up to the NICU, let's go"<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

They looked through the window of the NICU at the multiple incubators spaced throughout the room and they spotted John quickly, seeing the nameplate, 'Baby Boy McGarrett'. A nurse was checking on him as they looked on. Another nurse spotted them and came into the hall to greet them.  
>"Hello, can I help you?"<br>Pulling his eyes from his son Steve spoke, "Yes, my name is Steve McGarrett"  
>The nurse extended her hand, "It's nice to meet you Mr. McGarrett"<br>"Call me Steve please, how is my son?"

"He's settling in. His blood pressure is elevated but that's very normal right after delivery. We're working on warming him up. The ventilator is doing it's job. He just needs time to grow Steve. Are you ready to see him?"  
>"Oh yes, I am"<br>Danny grabbed Steve's arm, "Enjoy your time with him buddy. I'll go check in with Chin and Kono"  
>Steve embraced his partner, "Thank You Danno...for everything"<p>

Moments later, after washing his hands and dressed in scrubs, Steve looked down at his tiny son in amazement. They had him bundled tightly in a blanket and he wore a tiny little cap. The only part of his body visible was his beautiful little pink face. To protect his eyes from the lights of the incubator they were taped closed and he had the tubes in his throat from the ventilator. His tiny head moved slowly from side to side. Steve looked to the nurse, "Is he in pain?"

"No...you can see his color is very good so he's getting a good level of oxygen. You can put your hand in here and touch him" The nurse guided Steve's hand into the incubator and he very tenderly touched his son's cheek for the first time.  
>Tears welled in his eyes as he spoke to the tiny infant, "Hello John...it's your daddy. I love you little man"<br>The nurses also had tears in her eyes as they had been told of the the baby's mother's passing and all eyes were riveted on Steve McGarrett. Danny watched from the window for several minutes before leaving the NICU to go contact Chin and Kono.

Chin answered on the first ring, "Hey brother, how's he doing?"  
>"He's in with John now. She's gone Chin...he was holding her when they removed her from life support and it only took a couple of minutes for her to pass. He's doing as well as can be expected I guess. He's in shock. He's got the baby to keep in going thank God"<p>

"How is the baby?"  
>"I don't know much. I watched from the window and they're letting Steve touch him. I couldn't see the little guy though. I need to get back up there, have you had any luck tracking these animals?"<br>"Not yet, we're working on facial recognition from the sketches for the other two men. We're going to check with Kamekona to see if he's ever seen any of them"  
>"Okay, Thank You and keep in touch"<br>"Will do. Send the boss our love"  
>"You know I will brother"<p>

When he returned to the NICU Steve was still sitting at his child's side. A few minutes passed and he looked up to see Danny. Steve talked to the nurse and then stood and came out to talk with Danny.  
>After a brief embrace and with tears slipping down his cheeks he spoke, "He's amazing Danno. He's so small...so fragile"<br>"I know. Gracie was six pounds and she was tiny"  
>"He's a fighter buddy, I can see it. He's gonna make it Danno"<br>"With your genes how could he not be a fighter"

For the first time today a small smile creased Steve's face and Danny sent out a silent prayer that little John McGarrett would survive...his father's life depended on it. "What are the nurses saying?"  
>Steve filled Danny in on the details of his sons condition, adding "Do you want to come see him?"<p>

"I can't go in there?"  
>"I checked with the nurse and it's alright but you can just stay a minute. You need to meet your namesake"<br>"Hey by the way, on that...Thank You man...that's quite an honor"  
>"You're the best friend I've got Danny, you're my brother. I love you very much. It was Cath's idea to name him after you and my dad, the two most important men in my life. We also wanted you and Kono to be John's Godparents"<br>Danny stood looking at his friend, "I love you too buddy and I would be honored. Thank You"  
>Steve squeezed his partner's shoulder, "Lets have you meet him partner"<p>

Danny stood looking down at the tiny bundle in the incubator and his heart sank. He didn't know much at all about premature babies but John Daniel McGarrett was extremely small...1 pound, 1 ounce...dear God that's so small! His heart sank because he knew...if this little boy died it would destroy Steve.  
>"Isn't he amazing Danny?"<br>"He's beautiful Steve...absolutely beautiful"

A short time later the men left the child in the care of the nurses as the Doctor came to speak with Steve.  
>He let Steve know that John's blood pressure had begun to drop and his body temperature was rising, very good signs. He also let Steve know that due to the circumstances they had arranged to have a room in the NICU available to him so he could stay with John around the clock. Steve voiced his gratitude and after the Doctor left he stood, "I need to head back in Danny"<p>

"Whoa Superman, hold up. The nurses have him babe. How about we go get some lunch?"  
>"I can't leave him?"<br>"Hey, you're not leaving him. You have to eat Steven or you'll be no good to him. Your body is still replenishing its blood supply. You have to eat. We'll just go down to the cafeteria, we won't leave the building. Go give the nurse your cell number now and let's go. He's in good hands Steve"  
>Steve nodded and soon they were headed towards the elevator.<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

They sat at the table with soup, sandwiches and fruit plates before them.  
>Danny ate a few bites but his appetite was not good either. He watched Steve who was simply moving the spoon around in his chicken noodle soup.<br>"I know your not hungry brother, but you've got to eat"  
>Steve ate several bites of his soup and drank some apple juice before pushing the food aside. "I can't man...I'm nauseated"<br>Danny noted his friend's color had become ashen.

"Hey Steve, lay your head on the table, you look like you're going to pass out"  
>Steve did as his partner asked as Danny went to the front counter returning with a ziplock bag filled with ice and a towel. Standing next to Steve he held the towel and ice against the back of the man's neck. Steve didn't object as the emotions and events of the day were obviously crashing in on him. About fifteen minutes later he raised his head.<br>"You okay brother?"  
>"Yeah Danny, thanks. I need to get back up to John"<br>"Steve...he's fine man. The nurse will call you. Let's walk outside and get some fresh air first"  
>Steve agreed and after Danny disposed of their food the men made their way outside.<p>

They sat in silence on a bench under a shaded tree for quite a while before Steve spoke. Looking straight ahead, the fear resonating in his voice, "This is all my fault Danno...my obsession with Wo-Fat caused this. Catherine's dead because of me...she'll never see her son...God Danny what have I done?"

"Steve, this isn't your fault man. Wo-Fat was behind the deaths of your parents.  
>We all want to see him pay for those crimes. He's vicious and evil and damn it Steve we will catch him! Catherine wanted him caught as well and you know that. None of us would have ever thought he could do this. He want's you Steve and he is trying to get to you by killing those you love. You need to concentrate on John now and trust that Chin, Kono and I will do everything we can to find him"<p>

"I drank too much last night Danny and I didn't hear them enter the house...Oh my God...how can I go on without her...I can't..."

"You can Steve and you will. You will because you've got a beautiful baby up there who needs you"  
>"I can't do this alone Danno..."<br>"Steve...you're not alone brother, you're not alone"  
>Steve turned to face his dear friend, "Thank you Danno... I need to go back up"<p>

After walking Steve back up to the NICU Danny went to a nearby waiting room to contact Chin for an update.  
>"Danny hey, how's everything going?"<br>"I don't know Chin. Our boy is strong but I'm very worried, He's blaming himself for this and if that little boy doesn't make it I don't know how he'll handle it. That baby is giving him a link to Catherine...Damn it Chin, Wo-Fat is trying to destroy Steve..."

"Well bro, we're not going to let that happen. We've just got to be there for him every step of the way"  
>"Buddy...I'm afraid to say it but us being there might not be enough this time"<br>"Do you need me down there?"  
>"No, no...have you found anything yet?"<p>

"Actually yes. Kono is still working on identifying the other two men but Kamekona recognized Nori. He tells me he hangs out at the Blue Hawaiian Club and I'm heading over there now"  
>"Chin don't go over there alone, you here me? Those animals shot a pregnant woman, they wouldn't think twice about plugging you"<br>"I've got HPD backup meeting me, I'll wait for them. Thanks Danny"  
>"Call me bro"<br>"Will do"

Danny then phoned Rachel. "Rachel..."

"Danny, tell me..."  
>"Rach...Catherine's dead"<br>"OH GOD NO DANNY...the baby….."  
>"He's alive. He's on a ventilator…honey he only weighs one pound"<p>

"How's Steve?"  
>"Physically he'll be fine…but, he's in shock…..right now the baby is distracting him….oh Rachel I'm scared. I'm afraid for him"<p>

"You stay with him Danny"

"We're going to need to tell Gracie….."

"I'll take care of that, don't worry"  
>"Please wait until I can be there. I think we should tell her together. I should be able to get over there tomorrow evening sometime"<br>"Okay Danny, I'll see you then. Please send my love to Steve"  
>"I will, Thank You" Danny hung up and then made his way back up to the NICU.<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

He found Steve just as he left him and placing his arm on the glass he leaned his forehead against it and watched. He couldn't even fathom the pain and fear that his partner was feeling. Danny had prayed more today than he had in a long time and once again he found himself pleading with God for Steve and little John.

Steve looked up a short time later spotting Danny and a couple of minutes later he joined him in the hallway.

"How's he doing?"  
>"He's really fighting Danny…they wanted me to leave for a while. His body temperature is up and they're going to take the blankets off him"<br>"That's great buddy"  
>"Danny, he's going to make it…he's going to make it. Let's go to the waiting room. The nurse said she'll come get me"<p>

They made their way to the waiting room. "Steve, how are you feeling physically man"  
>"I'm drained brother…my head is throbbing"<br>Danny reached in his pockets and handed Steve more B2 vitamins, iron pills and Advil. "Let me go get you some water"  
>Danny purchased two bottles of water and two Snickers bars from the vending machines and moved to the table, "Here try to eat this. by the way, Rachel sends her love"<br>"Oh Danny...I need to call MaryAnn"

"Do you want me to call her for you?"

"No thanks brother, I should do this"

Danny handed Steve his cell phone and he dialed MaryAnn's number.  
>He moved to look out the window to give Steve some privacy, continually glancing over at his friend. The call lasted about twenty minutes and then Danny moved back to his side.<br>"Are you alright?" Steve sat with his head bowed, his body shaking.  
>"She'll book a flight and should get here late tomorrow"<br>"Good. Let me know the flight arrangements and one of us will be there to pick her up"  
>"Thanks"<br>"Is there anyone else you need to call? I know Catherine didn't have any immediate family but is there someone?"  
>"No...she had no family...just me...that's why she joined the Navy Danny, she had no one to settle down for...oh God Danny...why did this happen?"<br>"I don't have any answers for you brother"

Steve sat quietly for quite a while as Danny paced the floors.

The silence was broken by Steve, "Oh God...Joe"  
>"What?"<br>"Danny, how are we going to find Joe? I gave him up to Wo-Fat and he'll be searching for him"  
>"Do you have any idea where he could be?"<br>"The last time I heard anything was when I got that postcard from Japan, what three months ago..."

Danny ran his hands through his hair, "Okay, okay...calm down Steve. You don't worry about this. I'll put Kono on it and we'll find him. If I remember right, the postcard didn't give us any real leads as to where he was but do you still have it?"  
>"Uhhhh yes, it should be on my desk at home"<br>"Okay, we'll move on it...you just put it out of your head for now. If we don't know where Joe is, Wo-Fat isn't going to be able to find him either"

Their conversation was interrupted by the nurse entering the room,  
>"Steve, you can come back in anytime you're ready"<br>"Okay, Thank You...I'll be right there"  
>"Danny, we have to find him...there can't be any more killing..."<br>"You go be with John, hold him, talk to him...I'll take care of this"  
>Steve left Danno in the waiting room and made his way back to his son.<p>

Danny called Kono, "Hey sweetheart have you heard from Chin yet?"  
>"No, not yet...How's Steve holding up?"<br>"I tell you Kono that little boy is keeping him going right now"  
>"How is John?"<br>"He's a McGarrett...he's fighting. Steve just went back in, they're going to let him hold him now...in the incubator of course. How's the facial reconstruction going?"  
>"I was able to identify one of the men, Haruko Katakana. I'm still working on the fourth"<p>

"Okay good, good job. I need you to do me a favor. Can you run to Steve's house for me. We have to work on tracking down Joe White and he sent Steve a post card a couple months ago from Japan. Steve says it's on his desk. We need to see if we can try to figure out were he is. We have to find him before Wo-Fat does"  
>"Sure Danny, I'll go right now. I'll have it to you soon"<br>"Thanks babe"

In the NICU they had moved John McGarrett to the small room next to the nurses station. The room had a bathroom, a cot and two reclining chairs as well as a phone and a small television. Steve would be able to stay more comfortably in this room until John's condition improved.  
>Steve looked down at the squirming little baby, his tiny arms and legs flailing about and tears again welled in his eyes. He did what every new parent does, counted ten fingers and ten toes...a perfect little boy. With the nurses guidance he placed his hand into the incubator and was rewarded as his son wrapped his tiny little hand around his pinky finger. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he spoke, "Hey big guy...daddy's right here...I love you John"<p>

Danny sat on the couch in the waiting room trying to clear his head. How could he have forgotten about Joe! Everything had been so chaotic all day and his mind had only been on his partner and his family. But Joe was family too and they had to find him before Wo-Fat did. Danny leaned back and closed his eyes and soon sleep overtook him.

Kono arrived at the McGarrett home and sighed deeply. Would Steve ever be able to live in this home again after today's events? She made her way to the back door where he keep is spare key under a loose patio brick and she entered the house. She had taken only a few steps into the darkened kitchen when she was struck from behind on the head and knocked to the ground, unconscious.


	11. Chapter 11

He awoke to his phone ringing about half an hour later. "Chin...hey brother how'd it go?"  
>"We've got Nori in custody Danny"<br>"That's great Chin, good job. Why don't you get him booked and then call it a night. It's been an exhausting day for all of us. We can interrogate him in the morning"

"You don't need me up there to relieve you?"  
>"No, I'll be fine here. Why don't you just stop up in the morning" He went on to tell Chin about beginning a search for Joe and that he was waiting on Kono. "I'm kind of surprised she's not here yet, maybe she can't find the postcard"<p>

"I want to at least swing by the hospital. I'll call her and meet her over at Steve's and we'll be up shortly"  
>"Okay, see you soon" Danny then made his way back to the NICU where a nurse came out to greet him.<br>"Mr. Williams?"  
>"Yes, is everything okay?"<br>"Yes, we have moved John into a room for the night. You will be able to stay as long as you like"  
>"That's wonderful, Thank You"<p>

Kono's number went straight to voice mail and instantly Chin was filled with a feeling of dread as he sped up, racing to Steve's home.

When Danny entered the room Steve looked up at him, his eyes beaming with pride.  
>"Look at him Danno...he's perfect"<br>"Wow Steve, he's great. Looks like he's got all the right parts!"  
>"He's really strong Danno. He hasn't stopped moving for a minute. They had him wrapped so tightly in that blanket"<br>"The kid likes to feel free huh"  
>Steve grinned up at his partner. He was so thankful that Danny Williams had been at his side throughout this horrific day. Deep down in his heart Steve knew that he wasn't alone and he never would be.<p>

As Chin neared Steve's home he could see Kono's car in the driveway. As he pulled in behind her car his fear rose. The house was dark, the sun had set and there were clearly no lights on in the home. Chin pulled his gun and moved towards the back of the house.  
>He found Kono still unconscious on the floor. After finding a pulse he made a quick check for intruders before going back to her side. He turned on the kitchen light and knelt at his cousin's side. She was bleeding from a gash on the back of her head and there was a huge lump where she had been struck. Her breathing was normal and seeing no other wounds he called for an ambulance. He then grabbed a dish towel from a kitchen drawer and held it against the wound to staunch the bleeding.<br>The ambulance returned a short time later and Chin rode along next to his beloved cousin.

Once Kono was in the ER, Chin went to the bathroom to clean the blood from his hands and then he made his way up to the NICU.  
>A nurse knocked and entered John's room. "Mr. McGarrett, Mr. Williams, there is a Mr. Kelly here to see you. He says it's important. I'll stay with John until you return"<br>Steve thanked her and the men quickly made their way to the hallway.

Danny spoke first, "Chin...what's wrong?"  
>"Guys, someone attacked Kono in Steve's home"<br>Steve's hands went to his face, "Is she alright?"  
>"I don't know boss, she's in the ER now. She took a bad blow to the head. She lost a lot of blood and she was unconscious. Your house was torn up, someone was looking for something"<p>

"This has to be about Joe, they're looking for clues as to where to find him"  
>Danny added, "Hey Steve, we'll find Joe...don't worry"<br>"I've put you all in such danger...I'm so sorry"  
>"Steve, stop that. We're all in this together. Kono's going to be fine. I'll go down to the ER and wait with Chin. You stay here and I'll come give you an update in a bit, okay?"<br>"Okay...yeah, yeah...Thanks"

The Doctor came out of the ER about an hour later.  
>"How is she Doc?"<br>"She took quite a blow to the head. Her skull is fractured and she has a concussion but there appears to be no swelling on the brain. We'll monitor her very closely for the next 48 hours but I expect her to fully recover"

Danny let out a sigh of relief as Chin asked the Doctor, "When can we see her?"  
>"We'll keep her in the ICU tonight and move her into her own room in the morning, you can see her then"<br>Danny gave his information to the Doctor and explained that he would be staying overnight in the NICU. The Doctor took his phone number with the promise that they would contact him if there were any problems during the night.  
>Chin then left for the night and Danny made his way back upstairs.<p>

When he entered the room he was very thankful to see that both John and Steve were sleeping. The nurse put her finger to her lips to hush him. Steve's hand was inside the incubator and little John's finger was holding his. Danny pulled out his phone and took several pictures of this as well as some close ups of John and as the nurse smiled at him he made his way to the nearby chair and soon he too was asleep.

Danny woke to Steve nudging his shoulder at about two o'clock in the morning.  
>"Danno...hey Danno...wake up man"<br>Danny woke quickly, "Yeah Steve, what is it? You alright?"  
>Steve sat on the ottoman next to the chair, "How's Kono?"<p>

Danny filled him in on the details then added, "You were sleeping when I got back, didn't want to wake you. What time is it?"  
>"A little after two. I need to go down and see her. John's doing well and the nurse is here. Would you mind staying here until I get back?"<br>"Sure, I'll watch my little Godson. I don't know if they'll let you see her though"  
>"Well, I need to try. I'll be back soon"<br>Danny moved over to the incubator as Steve left the room.


	12. Chapter 12

*******WARNING********

This chapter contains the death of a child

Steve spoke with an ICU nurse who told him that Kono had regained consciousness a couple of hours ago and was now resting comfortably and that he could see her for a few minutes. He stood at the bedside holding her hand and stroking her hair. He recalled his conversation with Danno earlier today, Wo-Fat wanted him and he was going to hurt those he loved to get to him. Steve silently vowed that no one else he loved would be harmed by that animal. As soon as John's health improved, he would hunt down Wo-Fat and kill him and he would do it alone. His thoughts were interrupted by a weak voice, "Hey boss"  
>"Hey yourself...how are you feeling sweetheart?"<br>"I'll be just fine...just a bit of a headache...I didn't even hear them coming"

"Kono...I'm so very sorry this happened to you. I love you and I promise Wo-Fat will pay for this. I promise. I need you to rest now and I'll be back soon. Danny and Chin send their love. Close your eyes and sleep now"  
>"No worries...boss...I'm fine..." her voice trailed off as she fell back to sleep.<p>

Steve stayed at her side for a few minutes before leaning over and kissing her forehead and whispering, "He'll pay Kono...I promise" He then turned and left the ICU.  
>As Steve entered the elevator the frustrations of the day overwhelmed him and he slammed his fist against the elevator wall, recoiling in pain, "DAMN IT!"<p>

Back in the NICU baby John McGarrett was holding tightly to Danny's finger, "John, this is your Uncle Danno. Your daddy really needs you little man, so you keep fighting" Danny began singing a lullaby softly to the tiny infant as he watched him intently.

Steve was still shaking his hand in pain as he re-entered the NICU room.  
>Danny looked up, "What happened to you?"<br>"Nothing...ran into a wall. How is he?"  
>"He's amazing. You're right, Superboy…..aka Son of Superman, here has quite a grip"<br>Steve smiled as he looked at his son grasping Danny's finger.  
>"Did they let you see her?"<br>"Yeah. She woke for a few minutes. She got a bad headache but it looks like she'll be fine. We're lucky Danny...I'm going to kill him brother"  
>"Hey, I feel the same way you do man. We'll find him Steve, together...we'll find him"<p>

The nurse then helped Steve as he was able to hold John for the first time. He was so small that he fit into the palm of his father's hand. Steve had never felt such emotion as he held this gift from God…..this final gift from Catherine. No words were spoken as he stood looking down at this little life that in less than 24 hours had become the most important person in the world to him. Danny watched the sight and smiled softly, he remembered the first time he held Gracie and he hoped for his friend that this would only be the first of thousands of times that we would hold his precious son.

Chin arrived a little after seven o'clock and Danny left the room so he could come in and see the baby.

"He's beautiful Steve"  
>"Thanks Chin. He's a tough little guy. Have you seen Kono yet this morning?"<p>

"Yes they've got her in her own room now. She said you saw her last night"

"Yeah they let me see her for a few minutes, about four hours ago. We're so lucky she's alive. I'm so sorry Chin"  
>"What are you sorry about? You didn't do this?"<br>"Chin, I brought this danger to all of us….."

"No way brother. We all know how dangerous Wo-Fat is and we accept that risk. We'll get this guy Steve, you know we will. I'm going to spend a little more time with her and then I'll stop by your house to look for that postcard before I go interrogate Nori"

"Be tough on him Chin, we need answers"  
>"I will be boss. Take care of your guy here. We've got things covered"<br>"Thank you. Tell Danny to go see Kono with you and give her a kiss for me. Tell her I'll see her a little later. And Chin, be careful man" The men embraced as Chin left the room.

MaryAnn sent a text to Steve that her flight would arrive at around nine that night. The morning went quietly but around noon John began struggling. His little chest pumped furiously as he fought. Steve was terrified to see a tiny tear fall from his child's eye. He gently wiped it away as he talked to John. "Daddy's here John. I love you baby" The Doctor came into the room to examine him and he turned to Steve and Danny.

"Mr. McGarrett, I'm sorry but his heart is failing"  
>"Is there anything you can do for him?" Steve's voice was so soft, he sounded defeated.<p>

"He's just not strong enough, I'm so sorry but no. He cannot survive"  
>The words were crushing. Although Steve had known the odds of survival were low he hadn't let his mind go there….he just couldn't. And now he was being told that his son was dying.<p>

He couldn't take his eyes off the tiny baby, "Is he in pain Doctor?"

"I won't lie to you, it is a struggle. I would suggest removing the respirator. At that point it should only take moments for him to pass"  
>"Can I hold him?"<p>

"Of course. If you want to take a seat, I'll wrap him up"

Steve sat in the chair next to the incubator and Danny stood behind him holding his shoulder firmly. As the Doctor placed the tiny bundle in his hands, Steve was shaking. The Doctor then removed the tube from John's throat.

Steve held his son close to his face, kissing him, "I love you John….it's okay….go be with Mommy…..it's okay baby" It took less than a minute for John to pass in his father's arms. The medical staff left the room and Danny stayed, standing next to him, rubbing his shoulders.

Steve's cradled him as he sobbed. He cried for John and he cried for Catherine. He cried for the loss of the two people he loved more than life itself.


	13. Chapter 13

********WARNING********

This chapter contains the death of child

Danny continued to rub Steve's heaving shoulders as the man mourned the loss of his family. About half an hour passed before a nurse came in to take John.  
>Danny leaned close to his friend talking soothingly, "Steve, the nurse needs to take John now"<br>"No...nnnooooo...Dannoo...he needs mmee Dann..nnoo"

Danny's voice cracked with emotion as he took his partner's face in his hands, "Steve listen to me...John's gone...buddy, John's gone...he's with Catherine Steve...I'm sorry babe but they're gone"

Steve's eyes were huge with pain and fear as his partner's words registered. He was totally numb and his head was spinning as Danny continued, "Steve, let me take John now. The nurse is going to take him to Catherine okay"  
>Steve shook his head and after kissing the baby again he handed him to Danny.<br>"I've got him buddy...the nurse is going to take good care of him, I promise"

As the nurse left the room with John, Danny looked back at his partner. It was clear that the man was in total shock. His body was shaking and he was sitting forward in the chair with his hands on his knees, rocking back and forth. He was pale and sweating as he stared straight ahead seemingly oblivious to his surroundings.  
>"Steve, I need you to come over and lay down for a minute"<br>Receiving no acknowledgement that he was heard, Danny moved in front of his partner and took hold of his upper arms. With Danny's help, Steve stood and they moved slowly to the side of the room where Steve laid down onto the bed and Danny covered him with a blanket. Danny then moved quickly to the door to call for help and a nurse raced in.  
>"I think he's gone into shock"<p>

The nurse was checking Steve's vitals as a Doctor entered the room. Steve continued to stare vacantly, straight ahead.  
>"Mr. McGarrett, can you hear me?"<br>The nurse spoke to the Doctor, "His blood pressure is 202 over 160 and his heart rate is 310"

The Doctor relayed instructions to the nurse and then turned to Danny who stood with his hands folded against his chest and was looking pale himself.  
>"Doc what is it, is he gonna be okay?"<br>"He is in shock. I'm going to start him on IV fluids and a beta blocker"  
>"What is that, what does it mean?"<br>"His blood pressure and and heart rate are dangerously high. The beta blocker will act as a relaxant to lower those. If they continue to rise he is in risk of cardiac arrest. The IV fluids will keep him hydrated. Has he been eating and drinking?"

"No... he's taken in very little over the last day and a half. Doc, he was shot in the shoulder yesterday and he's lost a lot of blood"

"What? Was he treated here?"

"No….uuhhhh, we removed the bullet ourselves and cauterized the wound"  
>"I'm going to have to report this to the police"<br>"Doc, we ARE the police. He's Commander Steve McGarrett the head of the Governors 5-0 task force and I'm Officer Danny Williams"

"We're going to move him to a room and admit him. If you can stay with him, hold his hand and talk to him...it will help"  
>"Yes, I will. Thank You Doctor"<br>An orderly arrived and the three men lifted Steve up onto the stretcher. Danny squeezed his partners hand as they made their way to a room on the fourth floor.

A short time later, the Doctor had checked out the shoulder wound and Steve was in a hospital gown, his eyes closed, with IV's flowing into his veins as Danny held his hand. "Hey buddy, I'm right here with you. You just rest now, everything will be alright Steve. Just sleep now"  
>He talked softly to his partner for several minutes until his phone rang.<p>

He moved from the bed, "Chin...how's it going?"  
>"Nori is singing like a bird. He gave me the name of the fourth man and Danny, according to him...Wo-Fat shot Catherine himself"<br>"Is Wo-Fat still in the country?"  
>"Nori doesn't think so. He states that Wo-fat recruited them in Japan. The four men flew in on one-way tickets two weeks ago and Wo-Fat was already here. He thinks Wo-Fat may have already returned to Japan. He gave me locations where the other three men may be and HPD is executing searches as we speak. How are things going there?"<p>

"Not good bro...John passed away about an hour and a half ago"  
>"Oh God no...how's our boy"<br>"It's all crashed on in him. He's in shock. The Docs have him in a room and hooked up to IV's. He's unconscious right now"  
>"I'm going to need you here once you're done with Nori. One of us needs to be with Kono and Steve can't be left alone"<br>"I'll get there as quick as I can bro"  
>"Thanks man, he's in room 404"<p>

The nurse brought Danny in a bottle of water when she came to check Steve's vitals half an hour later.  
>"Thank you for the water. How's he doing?"<br>"A little better, 190 over 135 and his rate is down to 240"  
>"What should he be at?"<br>"His blood pressure should be no higher than 180 over 120 and his rate no more than 100. But he's not going up, that's good. Has he woke at all?"  
>"No not yet, should I try to wake him?"<br>"Yes, encourage him to wake...but don't worry if he doesn't yet. From what I hear he's been through a lot of trauma the last 24 hours and the rest sure won't hurt him. Just keep him warm and press the buzzer if you need anything"  
>"Thank You Ma'am...Thank you very much"<p>

He sat back at the bedside and took Steve's hand in his, "Hey partner, you need to wake up now. It's Danno, can you open those eyes for me?"  
>He kept up the prompting and was rewarded a short time later as Steve's eyes slowly opened.<br>"Hey Steve, how do you feel?"  
>He was quiet for a few seconds and then he turned his head towards his friend, "I'm thirsty Danno"<br>Danny unscrewed the lid from his water bottle and handed it to Steve as the man pushed himself up onto his elbow.

After talking several swallows he added, "I'm dizzy" Danny took the water from him and helped him lean back onto the pillow.  
>"Okay, close your eyes, take some deep breaths babe"<br>"Danny, what happened to me?"  
>"You went into shock, they've got some IV fluids pumping into you now and you're going to be just fine. You just need to relax for a bit"<br>"God Danno...I've lost everything...my family is gone"  
>"I'm so sorry Steve. If I could take this hurt away...I'd do anything man, I'm sorry. All I say is that I'm here for you"<p>

Tears slid unashamedly down his cheeks as he continued, "I just couldn't...let him suffer...Danno...I couldn't"  
>"Steve, you did the right thing brother. You heard the Doctor. He couldn't survive, he was just too small. You did the right thing. He's with Catherine now...and he's feeling no pain. Catherine now has her baby boy Steve...you did the right thing. And I'll tell you what, you should be a damn proud father, that little boy fought hard for his life"<br>"Thank you Danny...for being here...like you always are"  
>"And I always will be partner. I love you man"<br>"I love you too brother"  
>Steve closed his eyes and the men sat in silence, thankful they had each other to lean on.<p> 


	14. Chapter 14

Chin arrived about an hour later to find Steve sleeping. Danny put his finger to his lips and releasing his grip on Steve's hand he joined Chin in the hall and they embraced.  
>"How's he doing?"<br>"Better...I don't want to wake him. I don't think he's going to get much sleep over the next few days. Did you stop and see Kono yet?"  
>"No, I haven't seen her since this morning" <p>

"I haven't had a chance to see her yet. Would you mind sitting with him so I can go?"  
>"Sure, I'll see her when you're done"<br>"She's going to take the news real hard. She didn't even get to see the baby"  
>"I know, but we've got to tell her...I'll handle it. Then I need to call Rachel and Governor Denning to fill them in before I come back up"<br>"No problem brother, take your time" 

"Oh and MaryAnn's flight comes in at nine tonight, would you mind..."  
>"I'll pick her up. Are you going to tell her about the baby?"<br>"No...unless Steve chooses to call her, let's wait until she gets here"  
>"Okay, see you in a bit"<p>

Danny entered Kono's room just as a nurse was leaving.  
>"Hey hun, how are you feeling?"<br>"I'm fine Danny...just tired and I've got a bit of a headache. How's the baby doing?"  
>Danny took her hand in his and kissed it, "Sweetheart the baby didn't make it, He died a little bit after noon today"<br>"Oh no...no..." She began sobbing and Danny gently put his hand behind her bandaged head and pulled her to his chest.  
>"I need you to relax now babe. You're hurt and you need to relax...sshhhhh"<br>He held here like this for several minutes until her body relaxed in his arms and then placed her head softly back onto the pillow.

"How's Steve?"  
>"He's going to be okay, we'll all make sure of that won't we?"<br>"Oh Danny, why? Why is Wo-Fat doing this?"  
>"Honey he's trying to destroy Steve and we need to stay strong and be there for him. We're not going to let that bastard win, we'll get him. What you need to do now is get better, we're all worried about you"<br>"Don't worry about me. Where's Steve now?"  
>Danny explained their boss's condition and then he bent down and kissed her cheek before leaving the room.<p>

Danny went outside and sitting on a bench we phoned Governor Denning and the Rachel,

"Hey Rachel…." Danny's voice cracked with emotion, "He didn't make it Rach…. John didn't make it"

"Oh Danny, no…how is Steve?"

He explained Steve's condition and also what had happened to Kono, "I know Gracie is expecting to see me tonight but I can't leave him"  
>"No of course you can't. I'll tell her you're on a case…unless you want me to talk to her alone?" Rachel was also crying.<p>

"MaryAnn gets in tonight so I should be able to stop by tomorrow morning. I'm going to need to help him make the arrangements but I don't know when they'll release him here"

"Danny you take care of your partner, Gracie is fine. I'm so saddened by this…Danny, promise me you'll be careful"  
>"Hey, nothing's going to happen to me, I promise…I'll call you in the morning before I come over"<p>

"We'll be here whenever you can stop by. Take care dear"

"Thank you Rachel, good night"

Steve was awake and sitting on the edge of the bed with Chin trying to force him down when Danny returned.  
>"Hey Super Seal where do you think you're going?"<br>Chin looked to Danny, "Sorry man..."  
>"STEVE, stop it man! What the hell are you doing?"<p>

He shot a glare towards Danny that the detective had never seen before, a different 'look', "Danny give me my clothes..."  
>"Steve, you're sick babe. Just lay back and rest" Danny noticed that his partner had ripped out his IV's and they were lying on the bed beside him.<br>"Danno...listen to me...I've got to get out of here...please give me my clothes"

Looking into his partner's eyes he knew there was no sense arguing with him so Danny negotiated, "Okay...but then you're going to first agree that once we leave here we'll stop and you will eat and drink something. If you don't agree to do that, then lay back down on that bed right now or I'll tie you down if I have to!"

The partners exchanged stares before Steve spoke, "Fine...give me my clothes"  
>Soon Steve was dressed and against Doctors orders he was on his way with the others to see Kono.<p>

She opened her eyes as she felt his lips on her cheek, "Boss...oh God I'm so sorry about John"  
>Steve wiped her tears with his finger, "Thank you sweetheart. I need you to not worry about me and take care of yourself. We need you back"<br>"I'll be fine, I promise"  
>"Good. We'll all be stopping in on you and if you need anything the nurses have our numbers so you just have someone call us any time day or night, you hear me?"<br>"Will do boss" It was evident that she was very tired. 

Steve leaned in and kissed her again, "I love you Kono, you rest now"  
>As he moved aside, Danny kissed her as she whispered to him, "Take care of him"<br>He responded, "You know I will. I love you kid, sleep now. Chin's going to stay with you for awhile"  
>"Okay, thanks Danny"<p>

Steve and Danny left the hospital and drove to a small family style restaurant. Both men order omelets, toast, juice and coffee. Danny gave Steve more vitamins and iron pills as well and the men ate in silence. Steve ate about half of his food before pushing it aside, "If I eat anymore, I'll puke"

"Well…at least you've got something in your stomach…..." 

"Steve, I know my apartment isn't real exciting but I think we should stay there instead of your place"

"I appreciate the offer Danny, but no…I need to be in my house…..our house"

"I understand that brother, but from what Chin told me these thugs really tore your place up. And…..we haven't had a chance to even clean your room. Humor me just for tonight at least. I don't give up my bed to just anybody ya know. I'll have Chin bring MaryAnn there tonight, she can sleep in Gracie's bed. I'll get your house cleaned up tomorrow"

Alright….. thank you man"


	15. Chapter 15

Danny looked over to Steve as he drove towards his apartment, "Do you need to stop anywhere?"  
>Steve continued to stare aimlessly out the window as if not hearing his partner.<br>After about thirty seconds he spoke softly, "Would you mind if we stopped at the ocean for a bit?"

"Of course we can, no problem" Danny drove to a secluded area where there was an inlet that they could walk out onto.  
>"Hey brother, can I have some time alone?"<br>"I'll be right here, take all the time you need"

Danny watched Steve as he slowly walked from the car. He couldn't even imagine the pain and hurt his partner felt and he again prayed to God to give his friend the strength to get through this. Danny could only be there if and when Steve needed him and he would do that.  
>He loved Steve McGarrett as much as he loved his brother Matt and his sisters and his heart truly ached for him. He dialed Chin, "Hey how's she doing?"<p>

"As good as can be expected. She's sleeping a lot. I talked to the Doctor and all her tests came back. He see's no permanent damage and she should recover fully. She'll be out of work for quite some time and then she'll be relegated to desk duty for a while as well"

"That doesn't matter. All that matters is that she's going to fully recover. Jesus brother, it's been a hell of a day hasn't it?"  
>"Yeah, it's not one that any of us will ever want to repeat. How's Steve?"<br>"Pretty quiet...I got him to eat some...he wanted to be alone for a bit, we're at the ocean right now"  
>"You think he should be alone Danny?"<br>"I can see him brother, don't worry. He's going to stay at my place tonight so after you pick up MaryAnn just come there"

"Okay, bro...I talked to HPD about an hour ago and they were able to arrest Daiki. The other two came out shooting and both are dead"  
>"Any HPD hurt?"<br>" I hear one took a bullet to the leg but he's going to make it. No one else was hurt"

"Good...now we can concentrate on finding Wo-Fat. I'll want both of us to interrogate Daiki but he can sit in jail for a couple of days, we need to take care of our family business here first. Steve really wants to be in his own home so we'll need to make time tomorrow to get over there and clean the place up"

"Let me handle that. Malia is feeling really helpless and I'm sure she would be more than willing to help me. We'll head over there first thing in the morning. You help Steve with the arrangements and take care of him"

"Thanks, that will help alot. By the way, were you able to find the postcard from Joe?"  
>"No, they must have found it Danny"<br>"Well all it's going to tell Wo-Fat is that Joe was in Japan three months ago and that's all we know as well. We've got to find him man"

"We will, I should be to your place around ten o'clock"  
>"Okay, see you then"<p>

Danny reclined his seat back slightly and kept his eyes on Steve who had walked about halfway onto the inlet. The Seal stood, his hands in his pockets as he looked out across the Pacific Ocean as the sun began to set.

Steve watched the sun going down as tears burned in his eyes. As much as he tried thinking through how he was going to begin his search for Wo-Fat, his mind could not go there...not yet. His parents had raised him to always find the good in things and the good in all people, but they were wrong. There was no good in this and Wo-Fat was pure evil. Once he had properly buried his wife and son he would find Wo-Fat and again he vowed to do it alone. His Seal training had prepared him for this type of covert mission and he refused to allow his team to be harmed by this animal. They were in danger simply because they cared for him and he would see to it that they were safe...even if he died doing so. Wo-Fat wanted him, and he would have his chance soon.

He had been standing there for more than an hour when he felt Danny's presence behind him.  
>"Hey partner, you okay?"<br>Steve turned and smiled weakly at his partner, "Thanks buddy, let's go home"

Danny told him the good news about Kono as they made their way back to the car. "That's great news Danny, she's one tough lady"

Once at Danny's house Steve took a shower and then went to lie down for a while as Danny cleaned up.  
>MaryAnn and Chin arrived a little after ten o'clock and after showing her Gracie's room and putting her bags in there, the three sat in the living room sipping on beers and talking softly about Catherine, the baby...and Steve.<p>

He emerged from the bedroom about an hour later, "Mare...hey when did you get here?"  
>MaryAnn moved to her brother's side kissing him and drawing him into a tight embrace.<br>"I'm so sorry Steve..." Tears were once again flowing as the siblings comforted each other.  
>"I know Mary...thanks for coming sis"<br>Chin stayed a couple of hours and then they all decided they needed to at least try to sleep. He explained to Steve that he and Malia would clean up his place for him tomorrow and then he would check on Kono. Steve pulled his dear friend into an embrace, "Thank you for everything you've done Chin, I love you man"  
>"I love you too boss, try to sleep now"<p> 


	16. Chapter 16

The next morning was horrible as Steve, MaryAnn and Danny made the arrangements for the wake and funeral services. Steve wanted John buried with Catherine and it would be a military service. They would be buried next to Steve's mothers grave and he also pre-paid for an adjoining plot for himself.  
>Once the arrangements were done, Danny brought MaryAnn and Steve back to his house and then he drove off to see Gracie and Rachel.<p>

Gracie came racing to the door, flinging herself into her daddy's arms, "DANNO !"  
>He hugged her tightly and kissed her forehead, "Hello Monkey, I've missed you so much"<br>"I've missed you too daddy. Don't you have to work today?"  
>"Nope. Your Mom and I have to talk to you about something very serious though baby"<p>

The nine year old was smart. Her daddy was a policeman and she knew at a very young age the dangers involved in his work, "Are you okay daddy?"  
>"Of course I am! I'm right here, you can see I'm just fine!"<br>"Your eyes are sad Danno. Is Uncle Steve alright?"  
>"Your uncle Steve is going to be fine, I promise you"<p>

Picking up on her father's words she added, "He's GOING to be fine? What happened Danno?"  
>"My dear child, you know your father too well. Let's go sit with Mommy and talk. Can you get a coke for Danno?"<p>

"Sure" He set her down and taking her hand they walked to the kitchen. Danny sat at the table as Grace fetched him a coke and a few seconds later Rachel entered the room.

She came to Danny's side and hugged him, "I just put Charlie down for a nap"  
>Once they were all seated, Danny took Gracie's hand in his. Danny had run this conversation over in his head a million times the last couple of days. Steve's family was killed by a madman and how could he tell his daughter this without terrifying her?<p>

"Sweetheart, some bad people broke into Uncle Steve's house and they hurt Catherine"  
>"Is she going to be okay?"<br>"No monkey, I'm afraid not. Catherine died sweetheart"  
>Gracie's voice became very soft, "Is the baby okay Danno?"<p>

"No honey, the baby died too. The baby was a little boy and his name was John. So when I tell you that Uncle Steve if GOING to be fine...I mean it Monkey. He's just very very sad right now"

"I'm very very sad too Danno" Tears fell from the little girl's eyes and her daddy leaned over and lifted her out of her chair, setting her into his lap and holding her to his chest, "Me too Monkey, me too"  
>Rachel reached over and grasped Danny's hand tightly.<p>

They sat talking quietly for about an hour. And Gracie drew a picture for Steve of the ocean and a pretty rainbow.  
>"He's going to love the picture Monkey"<br>"Can I see Uncle Steve today Danno?"  
>"Maybe tomorrow okay?"<p>

"Will give him a kiss for me and tell him how sorry I am?"  
>"You know I will baby. Danno loves you"<br>"I love you more..."  
>Danny hugged her tightly and then Rachel walked him to his car.<p>

"Thank You Danny, you handled that perfectly"  
>"I didn't want to scare her Rachel..."<br>"Danny, she had to know"  
>"What about the funeral?"<br>"I will bring her. Stan wants to come as well if that's okay?"

"Of course, you're all welcome. I'm sure Steve will be very grateful that you came. Do you really think Gracie should come though?"  
>"I do Danny, she's old enough. She understands"<br>"Okay...the wake is tomorrow from 4-7 at the Muhallo Funeral Chapel and the service is Friday at eleven o'clock at St. Francis Church"

"You take care of Steve. I'll get Gracie there and she can sit with you if you'd like. You just let me know. Stan and I are here for you Danny. Let me know if there's anything you need me to do"  
>Danny kissed Rachel on the cheek and embraced her, "Thank You Rachel"<p>

Chin called Danny when he was on his was back to the apartment to let him know that Steve's house was ready and that he was heading up to see Kono.  
>"How did Gracie take the news"<br>"She's very sad but I think she'll be alright. Rachel and Stan are going to bring her to the funeral"

"None of this is easy brother, just hang in there. I'm going to go sit with Kono for a couple of hours, Malia is going home to make several casseroles for us for the next few days so how about if we meet you at Steve's at around six o'clock for dinner"

"Thanks Chin, that sound great. Tell Malia thank you and send our love to Kono"  
>"Will do, we'll see you later"<p> 


	17. Chapter 17

Within the hour Steve McGarrett was bracing himself to walk through the front door of his house...his house, not his home...Catherine had made this his home and now she was gone. He didn't say a word, he couldn't have spoken if he had wanted to. The lump in his throat was so big that it hurt, he couldn't even swallow. Mary took his hand and they stepped into the living room. They walked from room to room. As they passed the closed door to baby John's room, Steve simply placed his hand on the door and wept. He couldn't bring himself to open the door, not yet. The next room was the master bedroom. Malia had cleaned it from top to bottom and Chin had even purchased a new mattress for the bed.  
>Steve looked to MaryAnn, "Mare, can you leave me alone for a few minutes here"<p>

She kissed her brother's cheek and she and Danny left him, alone in the room with his thoughts and memories of the love he had lost.  
>He took a picture of Catherine from the night stand and holding it to his chest he lay down on the bed and curling into a fetal position, Steve sobbed.<p>

He stayed in the room for about thirty minutes and then made his way back downstairs sitting next to Mary on the couch.  
>"You alright?"<br>"It's hard Danno...God I miss her..."  
>"Do you want a beer brother?"<br>"Sure man, Thanks"  
>"Mary, do you want one?"<br>"Yes, thank you Danny"

As they sipped their beers Steve began to ask questions about the case.  
>Danny let him know about the two intruders in jail as well as the two who were killed. He let him know that they believed Wo-Fat himself had shot Catherine and they believed he may have already returned to Japan.<p>

"What about Joe, Danny?"  
>"Your postcard was gone, so we can assume that they gave the info to Wo-Fat that he was in Japan three months ago but Steve he has no other leads"<br>"Yeah, but neither do we Danny. We've got to find him"  
>"Let's get through these next couple of days and then we'll start tracking him brother. We'll find him Steve, we will"<p>

Steve excused himself to go down to the ocean for a while.  
>Danny and Mary watched him from the patio window as he sat in his wooden deck chair and stared out at the vast expanse of water.<br>"He's sure not talking much"  
>"He will when he's ready...we just need to be there for him"<p>

That evening Malia brought over lasagna, bread and salads. Steve ate a small amount but it was clear his appetite was just not there. After dinner MaryAnn and Malia were cleaning up the kitchen as the men sat on the patio. Danny gave Steve the picture that Gracie had drawn for him and he pulled out his phone to give her a call.  
>"Hi Rachel, its Steve"<br>"Steve, I'm so very sorry about your loss"  
>"Thank You Rachel...can I talk to Gracie for a minute?"<p>

"Hi Uncle Steve, I'm really sad for you"  
>"Thank you sweetheart. I wanted to thank you for the beautiful picture you drew me, I love it"<br>"Danno says I can see you tomorrow"

"Good, I can't wait to see you, I could use a big hug"  
>"Danno gives really good hugs"<br>"Yeah Danno's hugs are good but yours are even better, I love you sweetheart, sleep good"  
>"I love you too Uncle Steve, good night"<p>

Steve smiled at Danny, "That's quite a little angel you've got there Danny"  
>"Well she sure loves you, I can tell you that. Thank you for calling her, she was worried about you"<br>"She makes me happy everytime I talk to her.

The girls soon joined them and the all visited late into the night.  
>Danny noted that as the night progressed Steve became more quiet and as much as he didn't want to worry he couldn't help but fear for his friend.<p>

The next couple of days were a blur to Steve, thousands of people showed up for the wake and funeral. He went through everything in a daze. If Danny had not been constantly at his side there were several times when felt he would have simply collapsed. He would never forget to his dying day the feelings that raced through his body as Gracie Williams spotted him for the first time and ran to embrace him. As he held her in his arms he ached for the son he lost while thanking God that he had the love of this precious child. Kono was released from the hospital and able to attend the services although she would remain on medical leave for several weeks to come.

MaryAnn had to return home the day after the funeral and they parted with her promising to return for an extended vacation in three months over the Christmas holidays.

Danny and Chin had not gotten any additional information out of Daiki during his interrogation and after meeting with Governor Denning it was agreed that 5-0 would not take on any new cases for the forceable future until Steve and Kono were ready to return to duty. He assigned Chin to a police squad and Danny decided to take some extended vacation time to help out Steve. Danny continued to stay at Steve's home sleeping in the living room on the couch. Despite Steve's urging that he would be just fine, Danny wasn't convinced as he saw his friend withdrawing even more onto his own thoughts and he still was eating like a bird. Danny was convinced if he wasn't there, Steve wouldn't eat at all.

What concerned him most was Steve's demeanor, other than a couple of times when a single tear would slip from his eyes the man hadn't cried since he entered his home the day after their deaths. Danny's sister, Nicole had lost a boyfriend to a motorcycle accident when she was seventeen and Danny was fifteen. Nicole's depression had become so severe that they had feared she may commit suicide and it had all started with the same symptoms that Steve was now exhibiting. His worst fears nearly became a reality three nights after the funeral.


	18. Chapter 18

He woke hearing Steve moving around upstairs at about three in the morning.  
>He listened closely and thought he heard a door open. Steve had not entered John's room since before his death and Danny moved to the foot of the stairs.<p>

The light was on in John's room and as he mounted the stairs he heard the unmistakable sound of the hammer cocking on a pistol. He ran to the room and not wanting to startle Steve he slowly pushed the door open.

His heart was pounding out of his chest as he saw his partner, on his knees next to his baby's crib, a gun raised to his temple.  
>He spoke very softly as he entered the room, "Steve...babe its Danno...I need you to put the gun down buddy"<br>"Danno...I can't...please...understand...I can't do this...anymore"

"Steve, you've got to listen to me man. You can't do this" Danny's voice was cracking with emotion.

"Danno...God why Danno?...My family...is dead because of me"

Danny moved closer towards his partner. "That's not true Steve. You're not thinking clearly babe...you're not sleeping or eating well...now you know I don't bullshit you partner and damn it you're going to listen to me"  
>As he got closer to Steve he noted that his body was shaking with emotion yet ever the Seal, his hand held the gun was steady as could be.<p>

Danny was now crying, "So what do you need to hear Steve?...that I love you, that Chin and Kono and MaryAnn love you...damn it man Gracie loves you. Are you really going to do this to us...you, Superman?...you're gonna take the easy way out and make all of us live with that pain for the rest of our lives? I'll deal with it but don't think for one minute that I will ever forgive you for putting that pain on my daughter...My God Steve, I can't even imagine the pain you're feeling brother...but this isn't the way...what would Catherine be telling you right now, huh?...Now I'm going to take the gun from you...let me help you Steve...you're not alone...I'm here babe, I'm here"

Danny slowly reached out and placing both hands on top of Steve's he lowered the gun and removed it from Steve's grip. He tossed it to the side as Steve collapsed into his arms sobbing uncontrollably. The men sat on the floor as Danny held him tightly whispering to him, "I've got you Steve...let it all out...I've got you...you're going to be okay buddy" All the pain and built up anger spilled from Steve McGarrett.

Danny held his shaking partner in his arms for a long time, "It's okay Steve, you're not alone...let it all out babe"  
>"Why...whhyyy...Danny...wwhyy..."<br>"I don't know...I'm sorry...God I'm so sorry"  
>As they sat, Danny rocked back and forth trying to comfort his distraught friend as tears fell from his eyes as well. He felt so terribly helpless and afraid. He silently prayed for God to guide him on how to help his tortured friend.<p>

Suddenly Steve pulled himself from Danny's grip and staggered from the room. Danny raced after him, following him into the bathroom where Steve knelt over the toilet bowl vomiting violently.

Danny stood next to him running his hand soothingly across his back and shoulders. Once his body began to relax Danny went to the sink and grabbed a washcloth. He guided Steve, leaning him back against the tiled wall and handed him the cool, wet cloth. He then poured a glass of water from the sink handing it to his friend. "Here buddy" Steve took the water and wiped his face and mouth, then setting them onto the ground next to him.

Danny extended his hand, "Let's go downstairs okay?"  
>Steve took his partners hand and the men made their way to the living room.<br>Steve sat on the couch while Danny went to put on a pot of coffee. Danny returned a short time later with the coffee and sat next to Steve on the couch.

"I'm so sorry Danno"  
>"I don't ever want to hear that...you have nothing to be sorry for. I'm just glad I was here and that I heard you. Steve, you're my brother man and I love you. Talk to me, talk to Chin or Kono...we're here for you and we want to help you"<p>

"But you can't help Danno...you can't give me back my family"

"You're right, I can't. All I can do is tell you that you are a special person Steve McGarrett. You told me early on in our partnership that you called me Danno as a term of endearment. Well buddy, I can tell you when I call you Superman or Super Seal although they are terms of endearment they are also said with the greatest of respect and admiration. You are a born leader and it is an honor to work for you"

"Danno, you don't work 'for' me, you work 'with' me…you are my partner and my best friend. You're one hell of a cop and more importantly you're one hell of a man and father. You haven't left my side in eight days…."

Smiling softly Danny responded, "Well that's a good thing now, don't you think? I'm not going to spout any crap to you. You're going to hurt and that hurt may never go away. You are going to have to find a way to live with it. It sucks man and like I've said before I would do anything to take that pain from you but I can't. All I can do is be here for you, listen to you and cry with you. I'll do that...I'll do that every damn day if you need me to because I love you. And as someone who loves you I'm going to plead with you to please...please...promise me that you won't allow yourself to get to the point again where you're putting a gun to your head. If you kill yourself Steve it would devastate a lot of people. You are loved very much my friend and I can tell you it's the most helpless feeling in the world for us because we just don't know how to help you"

"It won't happen again partner…..I promise you. You asked me what Catherine would be telling me…she would be telling me to get my shit together"

Danny smiled softly "God I loved that girl"

"Thank you Danny"  
>"Any time buddy"<p>

Over the next five days Danny saw a change in Steve and although he still had many moments of quiet reflection, Danny also occasionally saw a spark in his partner's eye, a spark that days' earlier he thought he may never see again.

Steve was standing in ankle deep water, drinking a beer and watching the sunset when the call came in from a number he didn't recognize.  
>"McGarrett"<br>There was a moment of silence before the familiar voice spoke, "Hello son"  
>"Joe?"<br>"Yes Steve, it's me" Are you alone?"

Steve glanced up at the patio where Danny was manning the grill, cooking their steaks.  
>"Joe, Wo-Fat knows you're the one who killed his father. I gave you up Joe, to try and save Catherine, I gave you up. I'm so sorry. Where are you?"<p>

"Steve, listen to me. We can't talk long. I am so sorry about Catherine and the baby, this is all my fault, not yours, and I hope someday you can forgive me. I have found Wo-Fat Steve, I'm ready to take him out"

Steve's body tensed and he spoke with a steely conviction, "No Joe, he's mine. Where is he?"

"Fly into Tokyo. Contact me at this number when you get here. Steve, tell no one this. I just found out that Governor Denning is working with Wo-Fat. I don't know who we can trust but we have to end this"

"I'll see you tomorrow sir"  
>"Be careful son"<p> 


	19. Chapter 19

Steve quickly called the airport and booked a 5AM flight to Tokyo using an alias, finishing just as Danny was calling out that dinner was ready.  
>"Who were you talking to?"<p>

Thinking quckly, Steve lied, "MaryAnn called to check on me"  
>"Oh that's nice, is she doing okay?"<br>"Yeah, she's fine. Those steaks look awesome bro"  
>"Well of course they do! Sit now my friend"<p>

As he and Danny ate their steaks and salads Steve fought to keep a normal facade. His adrenaline was coursing through his body as the reality of the mission before him sunk in. He could not wait to get Wo-Fats scrawny little neck in his hands as he choked the life out of him.

"Whoa Steven, slow down babe. Chew the steak, don't inhale it! It's clear you've got your appetite back brother that's great to see!"  
>"It's cooked perfectly buddy, nice and bloody"<br>"Yeah, I just don't get that 'rare' meat thing. God it's not even warm is it?"  
>"It's perfect Danno, thank you"<p>

Steve had to try to get Danny to leave the house for the night so he could get to the airport.  
>"So the game starts in half an hour"<br>"What game?"  
>"The Lakers and Cavalier's?"<br>"Basketball? Oh man can't we just watch a movie tonight?"

Steve looked at his patner and again lied, "Danno, I've got fifty bucks riding on the Lakers tonight"  
>"Who are you betting with on a basketball game for God's sake?"<br>"Max"  
>"Max? Max likes basketball?<br>"Everybody likes basketball Danny"  
>"Not me my friend, I do not enjoy watching giant men plod up and down a court slamming a little ball into a net. It's a stupid sport!"<p>

"You're just jealous because you can't play?"  
>"Are you making fun of my size, huh...is that it...because I tell you my dear friend I was the starting point guard for my championship basketball team in high school"<p>

"You! You played basketball?"  
>"Yes, and I was damn good at it. If I hadn't of blown my knee out in my senior year I could have played college ball and who knows...I could have been as big as LeBron James!"<br>Steve was laughing hysterically as Danny became more and more animated.

"Laugh my friend, but know that you are not the only athlete on this team of ours"

"Well I knew about Kono, but Danno…..man are you full of s….."  
>Danny interrupted him, "Full of WHAT partner? Come on…"<br>"Surprises…you are full of surprises!"

"Okay now seriously brother, are you really going to make me sit through a boring basketball game"  
>"Hey Danny, you really don't need to stay anymore. I'm doing a lot better. I'm fine, I promise man"<p>

"Well let me be the judge of that my friend. It's great to see you eating and smiling, but humor me brother….I need to stay a bit longer"  
>"Alright man. Thank you Danny. I couldn't ask for a better friend"<p>

"Or a more talented one I may add. Master Chef, superb athlete, comic...…"  
>"Jesus Christ" Steve couldn't help but laugh at his partner and best friend. He was very lucky to have Danno Williams in his life and he hated to have to deceive him but he had no choice. He had to do this. To save his friends lives, he had to do this.<p>

The game began at nine o'clock. At halftime Steve went up to the bathroom and took a sleeping pill from the bottle that the Doctor had prescribed for him.

At the bottom of the stairs he called out to Danny, "Do you need a beer Danno?"  
>"Sure buddy, thanks" After slipping the sleeping pill into Danny's beer he headed back to the living room.<p>

Early in the fourth quarter Danny began to yawn, "Tired Danno?"

"This game is boring Steven"  
>"Hey Danny….thank you for everything buddy. I love you"<br>"I love you too babe…." Minutes later Danny was snoring softly on the couch.

Wanting to make sure Danny was soundly sleeping he watched the end of the game and then shutting off the television he covered Danny with a blanket, leaned over and kissing his partner on the head, he whispered, "Sorry partner"

It was almost midnight. Steve took a shower and packed a duffle bag including a fake ID and passport under the alias, Jack Reagan. He then wrote a letter to Danny which he taped to bathroom door. Ten months earlier, Danny had been shot during a drug raid and he had almost died. As he sat maintaining a vigil at his hospital bed he had written letters to his team and to Catherine. If anything ever happened to him, he didn't want to die without knowing that those he loved knew how he truly felt about them. Steve then called a cab and after a final glance at his sleeping partner, Steve went outside to wait for his ride.


	20. Chapter 20

Danny woke to a neighbor's dog barking wildly. He pulled the covers over his head and moaned.

God his head hurt! He only had a couple of beers why did he feel so hung over? He had to use the bathroom. He moved slowly up the stairs and after taking care of business, as he was leaving the bathroom he saw the note taped to the door.

_**"Danno,**_

_**I have gone to finish this. It is something I have to do. I have been in contact with Joe and we are going after Wo-Fat. **_

_**I need you to trust me on this buddy and understand that I have been well trained to do this so please do not worry. **_

_**I won't be able to contact you until this is over. Please do not attempt to locate me as that could jeopardize our lives and the mission. Danny, DON'T TRUST ANYONE, Denning is involved in this!**_

_**If I do not survive this you will find a letter and my will in my safe deposit box and First National Bank. The key is in my top desk drawer at the office.**_

_**You are all in danger as long as Wo-Fat is alive. He has taken my parents and now he has taken Catherine and John. I will not let him take any one else I love. I hope you understand and can respect my decision.**_

_**I will see you soon partner.**_

_**Steve"**_

Danny's face drained of all color as he read his friends words and his hands shook. He looked at his watch noting it was two o'clock,  
>"Damn it Steven..."<br>He raced down the steps and grabbed his phone, dialing Steve's cell which rolled directly to voice mail.  
>He then dialed Chin. "Hey Danny, how are things going?"<br>"Chin...Chin, Steve's gone after Wo-Fat"  
>"What are you talking about?"<p>

"I had two damn beers last night and I just woke up. I think he drugged me man. I didn't even hear him leave. He left a note Chin. I don't know what time he left but we've got to check the outbound flights to Japan, we've got to stop him. He said he's meeting up with Joe...he's going to get himself killed Chin"

"Have you tried his cell phone?"  
>"OF COURSE I TRIED HIS CELL PHONE!" Sighing deeply he added, "I'm sorry brother, I shouldn't be yelling at you"<p>

"No worries bro, try to calm down. I'm just a couple of miles from the airport now. Let me go check things out there and I'll get back to you. Why don't you search around...try to find anything that might help us locate Joe"  
>"Okay thanks"<p>

Danny scoured Steve's desk and drawers searching for something...anything, but finding nothing.  
>He was still searching when Chin called back about forty five minutes later.<br>"Chin, what have you got?"  
>"His name was not on any flights to Tokyo Danny. But odds are he would have been using an alias. Should we talk to Governor Denning and have him notify Tokyo police to watch for him?"<p>

_**"Danny, Don't trust anyone, Denning is involved in this" **_Those words from the letter jumped into his mind, "No, no Chin...don't tell anyone about any of this. Can you get over here?"

"I'll be there in about half an hour"  
>"Good, see you then"<p>

Chin arrived to find Danny pacing the living room floor. He handed the letter to his friend.  
>"Denning is involved? What in the hell?"<br>"Chin, I don't know what to do man"  
>"Like he says Danny, he's trained for this. Maybe we just need to trust him on this one"<p>

"It's not a matter of trusting him brother, Wo-Fat has an army behind him. Even with Joe at his side this is a fucking suicide mission"

"Danny, we can't do anything. We have to lay low. I need to stay on the job and you have to stay away from the office. If Denning is involved like Steve says he could have people working with him. Like Steve says, trust nobody. You have to stay here. We could be being watched for all we know. Nobody can know Steve is gone. We have to act normally, we have to protect him"

"Chin...God, Chin...Lori?"  
>"What? You think Lori is working for Wo-Fat?"<br>"No...but brother think about it? Just weeks after the Governor re-instates the 5-0 task force, which he HAD to do because we were so successful he puts Weston on our team to monitor us, to baby sit us?"

"Jesus Danny, I don't know man. She seemed sincere"  
>"Hell Chin, she may not have even known she was working against us. Denning had her reporting our actions to him. He pulled her from 5-0 because she was no longer effective. She had feelings for Steve and the Governor couldn't rely on her giving him information on us any longer so he pulled her"<p>

"Lori had feelings for Steve?"  
>"Yeah, you didn't know about that?"<br>"No, I thought she liked you"  
>"You sound just like McGarrett...you're both crazy. No she confessed her feelings to Steve when she gave him her notice. He was quite surprised to say the least"<p>

"She knew Steve was dating Catherine didn't she?"  
>"Oh yeah, I told her all about Catherine. Women are vicious when it comes to us men Chin. If they see something they want, baby they go for it"<p>

Chin shook his head and smiled, "How did I miss all of that?"  
>"You missed it my friend because you and Malia were newlyweds and you could of cared less about anyone else's love life"<p>

"Do you think we need to talk to Lori?"  
>"Yes, I think we need to take the chance. We can't risk calling her or having her fly here, Denning may find out. And if she IS working for him, I'll need to contain her immediately. You keep working and act natural. If anyone inquires on me or Steve just tell them we flew to Vegas for a couple of days. I'll book a couple of tickets as a cover. I have a cousin who lives there and we can say we stayed with him if anyone questions it. I'll fly out and pay Lori a surprise visit"<p>

"Remember to use a fake ID on the tickets and use cash only. We have to make sure you can't be tracked. Keep in touch brother"

The men shook hands and parted ways as Danny called the airlines to book the flights.


	21. Chapter 21

Danny was able to book a 5PM flight and with the time difference he would arrive in Virginia in the early morning hours.

Once he landed he rented a car and went to a nearby coffee house. Knowing it was close to midnight back home he called Chin.

"Hey babe, I know it's late. How are things there?"

"No problem, I'm here at Kono's. I've got you on speaker"

"Hey Kono, baby how are you feeling?"

"I was feeling a lot better until I heard about Steve. Danny we have to go find him"  
>"We can't Kono. We're all worried about him but we can't. He has to do this covertly to even have a chance of catching this scumbag. Think back sweetheart, do you remember when Sergeant Wade allowed us to watch the Seals raid that drug cartel?"<p>

"Yeah Danny, I remember"  
>"That's our boy Kono…That's what he's trained to do"<br>"Danny, he's too emotional. He's not thinking clearly, he could make a mistake"

"I know…but he's with Joe. Joe has watched over Steve since his father sent him away as a teenager. He loves him like a son. He'll take care of him Kono"

"He's family Danny. It feels like we're abandoning him"  
>"Honey, you're right, he is family and we need to respect his decision. We're not abandoning him, we just have to trust him"<p>

Chin then spoke, "We've got Lori's home address for you here, its 121 East Makanaw Trail. It looks like she's been working the dayshift at Homeland Security since she left here three years ago. It appears she's still single but has been dating a co-worker for the last several months. Her work records are immaculate, no incident reports. It looks like she's been living a fairly routine life"

"Okay good, I'll head over there now and intercept her as she leaves for work. You get some sleep now and call me when you wake up"  
>"Be cautious bro. Remember we're not sure if we can trust her"<br>"I will be, good night now"

He didn't have to wait long as Lori exited her apartment a little before seven o'clock. As she reached her car, she heard him approaching and turned.  
>"Danny?"<br>"Hey Weston, how are you doing?" He moved forward and they embraced.

"What are you doing here? Is everyone okay?"  
>"We've got a problem Lori and I need to ask you some questions. Can you call in sick today?"<br>"Yes….come on in"

As they entered the tiny apartment Lori spoke, "Welcome to my humble home. Would you like some coffee?"  
>"Sure, that would be great. Thank You"<br>She put the coffee on and they sat across from each other at the kitchen table.

"Danny, please…just tell me. What's wrong, is it Steve?"

"He's okay. I think I need to start at the beginning. About a year after you left, Steve and Catherine married" He noticed the look of pain in her eyes as he spoke those words and he continued,

"They were expecting their first baby and two weeks ago Wo-Fat shot Steve in the shoulder and kidnapped Catherine. He was holding her so Steve would tell him who Shelburne is. Steve gave him the information but Wo-Fat shot Catherine anyway. She didn't make it and their son died a day later"

"Oh my God Danny…." Tears streaked her cheeks as he reached across the table and took hold of her hand.

"I know…..it's been very hard. Lori…Steve's gone after Wo-Fat"  
>"What? By himself?"<br>"He's with Joe White, in Japan"  
>"Danny, Wo-Fat is a warlord. He has layers of security….Steve doesn't have a chance. What to you need me to do?"<p>

"I just have some questions. According to Joe…Governor Denning is working with Wo-Fat"  
>"What?" Danny watched Lori carefully noting her genuine, shocked response.<p>

"Lori, when you were working with us and turning in reports to Denning, was he asking you questions about Steve's investigation into Wo-Fat?"

"Ummmm, oh God…let me think…he would always ask about the on-going case and….yeah Danny, he would never bring up Wo-Fat's name but yeah, he always asked what 'other' cases Steve was working on"

"Do you remember ever saying anything to Denning, anything that Steve may have said to you?"

"No Danny…..I'm sure. I knew Steve was searching for Wo-Fat but I swear to you Danny I never told ANYONE anything that Steve told me…...I loved him and I would never betray him"

"Okay Lori, I believe you. Can you think of anything that could help us. We need to find out if anyone else at HPD other than Denning is involved with Wo-Fat's organization"

"Wait… yes…there was always a cop in the meetings, oh what's his name? O'Shea….no, no O'Sullivan…that's it, O'Sullivan"

"Anything else you can remember dear?"

"No…..but Danny, if Denning placed me in 5-0 to keep tabs on Steve's investigation why did he pull me out?"

"Chin and I think he pulled you out because of your feelings for Steve. We think he figured out you weren't going to give him any information so there was no reason to keep you in the unit. I know they had to make budget cuts and he wouldn't be able to justify keeping you"

"What can I do to help you Danny?"  
>"You already did Lori. Staying faithful to Steve and 5-0 says it all. We were all upset when they removed you, I hope you know that"<br>"Thank you. You all made me feel like part of your family from the minute I arrived. I hated to leave"

"But you're doing okay now? You're happy?"  
>"Yes…..the job is going well. I'm near my family and I'm seeing someone. Yes Danny, I'm happy"<br>"How about you and the others?"

"We're all good but its been very hard on all of us the last couple of weeks. We feel very helpless right now, helpless and worried"

"I'm worried for him as well but Danny but if anyone can take down Wo-Fat, its Steve…he's Superman you know"  
>Danny grinned, "That he is…..that he is"<p>

Danny left Lori with an embrace and a promise that he would call her as soon as they had any word on Steve.

Danny Williams headed back to the airport secure in the knowledge that Lori would keep their confidence.

After booking his flight, with the time difference we would arrive back in Hawaii around one o'clock in the afternoon. Right before boarding the flight he gave Chin a call to update him.

"Do you know someone in HPD named O'Sullivan?"

"Yeah, he's a captain, Tom O'Sullivan. Does Lori think he's involved?"  
>"She says that he was at all of her meetings with Denning"<p>

"He's got a great reputation Danny. I've always thought he was a good man"

It was the middle of the night in Hawaii as Danny added, "Chin, do you have anyone you can trust enough at HPD? We need to try to figure out if anyone else is involved in this"

"I don't know buddy….I think we need to follow Steve's advise and don't trust anybody. O'Sullivan is loved by everyone at HPD. He could easily have recruited someone"

"Alright man, go back to sleep. I'll call you when I get back"


	22. Chapter 22

It was a nineteen hour flight to Tokyo and Steve arrived a little after midnight. He walked to a park across from the airport and sitting on a bench he dialed Joe's number.

Joe instructed him to stay there and he would be there in twenty minutes to pick him up. Steve sat silently on the bench until a grey van pulled up and Joe exited from the passenger's side. Steve walked towards him and the men embraced, "How are you doing son?"

"I'll be fine sir….once this is over. Who are you with Joe?"

"Friends. Come on, we've got work to do"

The side door of the van opened as they drew near.

"Hey Smooth Dog" Steve's face lit up as he looked at the faces of four men from his past. Jonah, Paul, Marcus and Willie, four of the most courageous men Steve McGarrett knew. The men had served under Steve in Afghanastan, along with Nick Taylor. They had all attended Nick's funeral after Steve had been forced to kill him when he had threatened General Pak. Nick's betrayal of Steve had been a betrayal to the entire team. These men had been through hell and back together during the war. Their elite Seal team had taken out numerous high level Taliban officers and their love and respect for each other bonded them forever as brothers.

They had celebrated many successes together and suffered horrific loss together as well. During the war they had lost two of their own, Adam had died in Steve's arms from a bullet wound to the neck and Mike….Mike had made the ultimate sacrifice throwing himself on top of a grenade to save the lives of Jonah and Marcus. Danno often asked him about what he did in the Seals, and Steve still hadn't been able to share any details with his partner. These men shared a special bond, a code that could never be broken. Danno couldn't understand why Steve had to attend Nick's funeral when the man had tried to kill him. Danno couldn't understand that Nick's betrayal had caused Steve and his team to mourn him even more because Nick was a good man who had lost his way.

Steve entered the van and the men all exchanged hugs and then Paul spoke for the group, "Joe tells us you need our help Commander McGarrett. We all want to tell you how sorry we are for your loss Sir and we are here to help you get justice for your family"

"I appreciate this very much and I'm honored that you are all willing to risk your lives for me once again. Thank you" Steve then turned to Joe, "How did you hear about this Joe?"

"Son, when I returned to Hawaii I put a target on your head. I thought if I left, Wo-Fat would let you live in peace. I am the man who killed his father, I am Shelburne. He has now killed your Mother, your Father, your wife and your son because of my actions. I swore to your Father that I would keep you safe and I have failed in that duty. I have had people watching you since you were sixteen years old son. When I heard about this I immediately knew that this had to end. I contacted your team and without hesitation they all agreed to help us. Then a security guard of Hiro Noshimuri's happened to be on the same flight as Wo-Fat returning from Hawaii. He recognized him and followed him and then Hiro notified me. We have cased out the location and we have everything set to move on his compound tomorrow night"

"Are we sure they're still there now?"  
>"Noshimuri has two men maintaining surveillance at the property for us. Hiro has four men helping us with the raid as well. Hiro wants him dead as much as we do. We're renting a house nearby. Let's go get some food, and some sleep and we'll go over all the details in the morning.<p>

Shaking Joe's hand as he looked at his men, all Commander Steve McGarrett could do was humbly state, "Thank you" as Paul began to drive towards the house.


	23. Chapter 23

Chin picked Danny up at the airport on his return from Virginia.

As he drove Danny filled him in on the details he learned from Lori.

"So you're sure we can trust her...…..if she talks Danny, it will compromise Steve's mission you know that"

"She's not going to talk brother…she still loves him"  
>Chin looked at Danny, "Really? It's been three years"<br>"Yeah, I'm sure of it. I saw it in her eyes Chin…..she still loves him. She won't talk" Danny had seen the look in Lori's eyes, the love, the want, the desire. She had clung to every word he had said to her and her fear for Steve was genuine.

They drove in silence for a few minutes before Danny again spoke, "So how are we going to handle Denning and O"Sulllivan?"  
>"I don't know Danny….what proof do we have right now? Why would he partner with Wo-Fat?"<br>"Money my dear friend. Wo-Fat has very deep pockets and paying off the Governor and O'Sullivan to keep him safe is a very small price to pay"  
>"O'Sullivan is a good man, I just can't see him being bought out….he's an honorable man"<p>

"Money is the devils best friend Chin…that's what he told me….."

"What are you talking about?"  
>"McGarrett…..when Nick Taylor turned and tried to kill General Pak I couldn't believe that Steve went to his funeral. One night after he had a few beers in him I asked him why he went. He told me that Nick was one of the finest, most honorable men he had ever known and that he had been corrupted by the devil's best friend…..money. Chin, if a Navy Seal, who risked his life for his country could betray it for money, why not a Governor and a Police Captain…"<p>

Chin simply nodded and they remained quiet the remainder of the ride, both deep in their own thoughts, fearful of what their friend and leader was now facing.

Chin dropped Danny off at Steve's to maintain their cover and Danny showered and got some sleep while Chin reported to duty.

Back in Japan Steve slept for a few hours before joining Joe in the kitchen.

"Steve, I need to talk to you before the others wake. I promise we will take care of business here and Wo-Fat will die today. I need you to know son that I love you very much and I never meant to bring this pain to you. I am so very sorry for the loss you suffered. Catherine was a beautiful woman…..and your son, God Steve, I'm so very sorry"

Steve had known Uncle Joe his whole life and he had never seen the man cry, until now. "Joe tell me everything about Shelburne, I have to know everything…..please"

"As your father and I dug deeper into the corruption of the HPD we discovered a connection with Wo-Fat's father Ryota. A mole in HPD found out about our investigation and Ryota tried to stop us by having that bomb planted under your father's car. When it killed your mother, your father's fear for you and Mary took over every aspect of his life. To protect the two of you he sent you to the mainland. I saw your dad cry twice in the forty years I knew him. When your mother died and when he sent you away. Your dad was one of the finest men I've ever known and I loved him like a brother. We continued to quietly monitor Ryota and within four months his organization was gaining greater control of the island's underworld. Your father and I went after Ryota ourselves, we took out four of his guards and I am the one who pulled the trigger and killed Ryota. Within six weeks of his father's death Wo-Fat had taken control of the family business and your dad and I knew he would not quit searching until he found out who was responsible for his father's death. We wanted to assure that you and your sister would be safe and thus Shelburne was born. It was our code that no matter where we were if we felt you were in danger we could alert each other. Somehow through his connections Wo-Fat found out that Shelburne killed his father…..and so he lured you to North Korea and now this…."

"Joe, do you have any idea how Wo-Fat found out about Sheburne?"

"No son, Hiro Noshimuri told me that Denning is involved but he didn't know who else could be involved at HPD"

"Well, we'll just have to find out. We're not only going to kill Wo-Fat Joe, we're going to take down the whole damn organization. Joe….I don't blame you…...I love you too, you have always been there for me. I'm the only person to blame for what happened to Catherine and John. I have been obsessed with finding Wo-Fat since he killed my father and now it has cost me what I treasured most. I will kill him Joe, if it's the last thing I do on this earth, I will kill him...now show me the plans"


	24. Chapter 24

The Seal Team spent all day going over the plans for the raid. Steve's adrenaline was coursing through his body as the hour grew closer. His team and Joe had been casing the property for the last ten days. They had obtained a floor plan of the property and had a very sound plan drawn up. He silently prayed to God to keep these dear friends safe during the mission.

It was a little before two in the morning and as they made their way to Wo-Fat's safe house, no one spoke. They were all running over in their minds the role that they were to play in this. The house had two levels, no basement. Two guards manned the front security gate, two more where at the front door and one at the back of the property. Jonah would remain in the van monitoring the cameras attached to the men's helmets. He would be in charge of communicating constantly to the men through their earpieces and aiding in their evacuation once Wo-Fat had been taken down.

As they neared the property, Steve pulled them all together. "If any of you want out, now's the time to speak up"  
>Looking into the determined faces of his beloved friends and the four men Hiro had provided filled Steve with great pride as none of them even flinched.<br>He then added, "Remember, Wo-Fat is mine...do not kill him"  
>They all nodded and Marcus then spoke, "We're ready sir, let's do this"<br>They all took hold of each others hands and Steve led them in a prayer as they pulled up to their destination.

50505050505050505050

Back in Hawaii Danny was watching a movie, well at least the movie was on. He could not focus on anything tonight. His mind was in one place, with his best friend, four thousand miles away. Suddenly Danny began to sweat and shake as a chill ran down his spine. Something was happening right now, he felt it in his bones. He prayed to God to keep Steve safe and Danny Williams softly sobbed.

50505050505050505050

They were to approach in three teams of three men each, Joe teamed with two of Hiro's men, Ogawa and Yamamoto would enter through the front door along with Steve, Marcus and Hiro's man, Ito. Once they had taken out the guards and entered the house they would move to the 2nd floor with Joe's team moving to the right and Steve's to the left. They were hoping to catch everyone in the house sleeping and off guard and all the bedrooms were on the upper level.  
>Steve's senior man, Paul would enter the back of the home with Hiro's man, Kichida and Willie and they would sweep through the lower level of the home taking any computers they could find to use in hopefully connecting Wo-Fat with Governor Denning and the HPD.<p>

Steve and Marcus approached from the sides remaining hidden by brush and foliage. Once in position they patiently waited for their cue from Jonah and then moving with catlike silence and speed they attacked both guards simultaneously thrusting their knives between the men's shoulder blades and pulling downward, killing them almost instantly. Pulling the bodies into the brush the others all joined them and they quickly scaled the fence making their way towards the house.

They again waited for Jonah's cue and took out the guards at the doors with ease. Steve picked the lock on the front door and Paul moved swiftly to the security alarm, disarming it.

Once inside the darkened house the men moved with amazing speed and skill. They all took positions near the doors to the rooms and once they were all in place Jonah gave the signal to go.  
>Gunfire erupted in all the rooms as Wo-Fat's men would not go quietly.<p>

Steve heard the call crackling in his ear that Ogawa had _'__**the target' **_meaning Wo-Fat.

After quickly confirming that his man was dead, Steve raced blindly down the hall to the room that Ogawa had entered.  
>Wo-Fat was on the ground, conscious but bleeding from a bullet wound to the shoulder. Steve knelt over his enemy grabbing him by the shirt collar, "You lose Wo-Fat. Joe White is alive and this is over, you lose!"<p>

As blood slid from his lips Wo-Fat grinned up at Steve,  
>"No McGarrett, you lose. I took everyone you love, you lose. She was calling for you...calling for you to help her...you didn't protect her McGarrett...you lose"<p>

At that moment Steve McGarrett snapped. He began hitting Wo-Fat, punch after punch to the face and head. Steve grabbed his collar and crashed the man's head down onto the hardwood floor again and again. Blood and brain matter sprayed onto Steve, the floor, the nearby wall and bedding. He punched Wo-Fat while screaming uncontrollably. Tears streaming down his cheeks as the anger, hatred and rage came spilling out.

A couple of minutes passed before Joe came into the room and grabbing Steve around the chest he pulled him off the dead man.  
>Sitting on his knees, he held Steve tightly hollering to him,<br>"STEVE STOP SON, STOP...HE'S DEAD STEVE...stop, he's dead. It's okay son...stop now" Joe talked to him calmly for a couple of minutes then added, "We have to go son, our job is done here"  
>Joe helped Steve to his feet and after taking one final glance at his tormenter Steve and the others made their way quickly from the house with the entire raid having taken less than twenty minutes.<p>

Once back at the rental house Joe had Steve go take a shower. It was imperative that the men leave Tokyo as soon as possible.

Once out of the shower, Steve thanked Hiro's men and they left with the computers and files which Hiro would arrange to have shipped to Hawaii.

The others all hugged and said their goodbyes as Steve thanked his brothers for a job well done and they made plans to meet in Hawaii in three months for a get together at the McGarrett home once they were certain their covers were safe. They drove the van to the airport and parking it on the roof of the attached parking ramp the set it on fire and made their way to the terminals. They all booked flights under their aliases and were all on their way back to the states by six in the morning.

During the flight Joe gave Steve a rundown. Including the guards the men had killed sixteen member of Wo-Fat's organization with no injuries to their team. Not only had they pulled computers and files from the home but they also confiscated two videos from a locked desk drawer. They were very hopeful that these items would somehow show the link connecting him to Denning and the HPD. The raid was pulled off to perfection by these skilled and determined men.

"How are you doing son?"  
>"I'm good Joe. I think a might have broken my hand though"<br>Joe had noticed that the young man had been favoring it, "Let me see?"  
>One look at the bruised and battered knuckles and Joe chuckled, "You THINK that's broken? That's got to hurt like hell"<br>"It's not too bad Joe, really it's not"

Joe asked the stewardess for a towel and a bag of ice and after wrapping his hand Steve reclined his seat slightly and closed his eyes saying, "Thank you Joe...I love you"  
>"I love you too son, sleep now"<br>Joe watched over the man he loved like a son as Steve slept most of the nineteen hour flight back to Hawaii.


	25. Chapter 25

Once they arrived in Honolulu they first stopped at the hospital and had Steve's hand put in a cast and then they headed to his home.

Danny didn't hear the car pull up as he was in the kitchen doing dishes.  
>He heard the door open and shut and yelled out, "Hey Chin, I'm in the kitchen buddy. Hope you brought us a good lunch, I'm starving!"<p>

Steve stood in the entryway of the kitchen, "Well I hope he brings enough for us too"

Danny turned at hearing the voice, "STEVE!"  
>He jubilantly raced to his partners side and they embraced, "Hey Danno...it's great to be home. Good to see you're keeping my house clean buddy!"<p>

"What happened man...tell me everything"  
>"He's dead Danny...he's dead. It's all over"<br>"Jesus, that's great news Steve. What happened to your hand? You hurt anywhere else? How did you take him out?"  
>"Whoa, slow down partner. I'll tell you everything. Are there any beers in the fridge?"<p>

"Yeah, yeah...Joe you want a beer?" Danny was literally bouncing around the kitchen like a kid on Christmas morning, giddy with joy and relief that his partner had made it home alive.  
>Joe chuckled, "Sure Danny, thank you" He then turned and whispered to Steve, "Is he always like this?"<br>Steve smiled broadly, "Yes, isn't he great!"

Chin also arrived minutes later with pizza and after exchanging hugs they decided to go surprise Kono. They stopped first to pick up another pizza, with Danny even agreeing to pay for a Hawaiian pizza with ham and pineapple for his partner!

Steve stood at Kono's door and as she opened it, her face said everything. Tears fell and she flung her arms around Steve's neck hugging him tightly. "Oh boss, thank God you're alright. we've all been so worried"

"I'm fine sweetheart, how do you feel?"  
>"I'm feeling great now! This is so wonderful! Come on in, tell us everything"<p>

The men made their way into the house and Steve recounted the raid to them, not going into the details of Wo-Fat's death.  
>"You're certain he's dead boss?"<br>Joe spoke first, "Oh yes Chin, we're certain. Wo-Fat is dead"

They visited and ate pizza. They told Steve of Danny's visit to Lori and her identifying Captain O'Sullivan's as possibly being involved.

Their serious conversation quickly turned light hearted as Danny spoke, "OH MY GOD, THIS IS HORRIBLE!"  
>They turned to see that he had taken a bite of the ham and pineapple pizza. His nose was turned up in disgust, "MY GOD, THIS IS WORSE THAN I EVEN IMAGINED! You better enjoy this partner...because never again will I order this monstrosity!"<p>

Steve handed him his beer while laughing hysterically, "Here buddy, wash it down"  
>It was great to be home, back with family.<p>

505050505050505050505050

When Steve, Danny and Joe returned back at the McGarrett home, Joe went up to shower.

Steve and Danny sat in the living room sipping on a beer and Steve pulled out his phone to call Lori.

"Hey, maybe you should let me talk to her Steve"  
>"What…Why?"<p>

"Well buddy you can call her if you want but let me tell you, she still has feelings for you?"

"Really?"

"Oh yes my dear Romeo…. she says she's happy but it was very obvious to me when I saw her that she still loves you"

"Well, I think I should be the one to call…"  
>"Okay…here's the number….."<p>

She answered on the second ring, "Steve?"  
>"Yes, Hi Lori"<br>"Oh God Steve, are you alright?"  
>"Yes. I'm fine. I'm fine. I wanted to thank you for the information you gave Danny and without saying too much yet, we're looking into everything and I will call you once the case is resolved. I just wanted you to know that I'm fine"<p>

"Thank you for calling Steve I was so worried"

They made small talk for a few minutes and Steve ended the call promising to talk to her again in a few days.

505050505050505050505050

The package arrived from Hiro two days later and from Steve's living room they all went to work trying to decipher the information.

After several hours Kono was able to recover a deleted email chain of conversations between Wo-Fat and Governor Denning. These emails also referenced Captain O'Sullivan as well as two rank and file policemen, Jimmy Ho and Jerry Moultan. Chin knew both men and he had actually been through the academy with Jimmy Ho.

They decided the best way to approach this would be to have the Naval Military Police present the charges to the HPD.

This had went down so smoothly and so swiftly that Governor Denning was not even aware of Wo-Fat's death when the HPD took him into custody. All the men were arrested and they would go on trial for corruption, bribery, solicitation of murder and aiding and abetting a fugitive. None of them would ever again set foot outside of prison walls again. Five 0 had taken down Wo-Fat's criminal organization.


	26. Chapter 26

As everyone visited on the patio and Chin and Joe manned the grill, Steve grabbed a couple of beers and made his way to Danny's side.

"Here partner, you're falling behind" Danny took the beer and smiled softly. Steve then continued, "You got a minute to talk brother?"

"Sure" Danny reached down and picked up a small wrapped present that was on the table and he followed Steve down to the water's edge where they sat on the wooden deck chairs.

Steve pointed at the gift, "What's that?"  
>"Just a little something for you. Here, go ahead and open it"<br>Setting his beer into the sand Steve unwrapped the gift.

It was a very nice glass dual picture frame with the most beautiful pictures Steve had ever seen. The left side held a picture from Steve and Catherine's wedding. It was a picture of her hand on top of his with their wedding bands prominently displayed. And the right side held a picture also showing Steve's left hand and wedding band but this time his finger was being held tightly by the tiny hand of his newborn son.  
>Steve's eyes filled with tears and as he looked at his partner who was also crying, he choked out the words, "It's beautiful Danny, God it's just beautiful. Thank You brother"<p>

The men stood and embraced and cried. When they parted, Steve asked, "When did you do this?"  
>"You had fallen asleep and I used my cell phone. I've got several other pictures up in the house for you as well. I knew you'd want pictures"<br>"Danny...thank you...I'm absolutely overwhelmed by this"  
>"You're welcome"<br>They sat back in their chairs with Steve holding the frame in his lap and they sat quietly for several minutes before he broke the silence.

"Danny, I wanted to talk to you. To give you answers"  
>"Answers about what?"<br>"Since we've been partners you've asked me several times about my past, about what I did in the military. And while I can't give you all the information you probably would like, I can tell you some things. Up until now I just wasn't ready to tell you, or anyone for that matter, the things I'd done. But I'm ready now. There are certain things I can't tell you, basically names, due to the fact that the missions were classified. For your safety, my safety and the safety of the other men involved, certain facts have to remain secret"

"Are you sure about this man? 'Cause you don't owe me anything, you know that right?"

"I know that, and I'm sure" Both men sat forward in their chairs and Steve drew a deep breath and began.  
>"I commanded a Seal team of eight men for ten years. I was one of two snipers in my unit. During the war with Afghanistan we were involved in a countless number of raids on the Taliban and their operatives and we killed hundreds of men. I also personally assassinated eight top Taliban officials on individual missions. I'm not proud of the fact that I've killed these men Danny, they were human beings and I have to deal with my choices but I acted out of love and devotion for my country and I do not regret my actions. The only thing I do regret is that I lost two very good men in the process. Adam Wright was only 26 years old and during a raid he took a round to the neck. I was able to carry him and load him onto our truck but he bled to death in my arms before we could get him help... Our second loss occurred only a month before our final mission. My number two in command Mike Phillips threw himself on top of a grenade to save two of our men. I've never before left a man behind...but Danny...there was nothing left of him for us to take..." Steve paused to compose himself and then added, "Then Nick...to see him be corrupted by money. Danny I failed him..."<br>Steve's voice trailed off and Danny looked at the face of his friend, so tortured, so sad.

"Steve...you didn't fail him. He's a grown man who made his own choices. I'm sure he was an honorable man when he served with you. But he made his choices and you can't blame yourself for that. I'm kind of remembering that you gave me a speech similar to this about my brother and his choices if you don't recall...God I don't even know what to say. You're a hero man, you know that, don't you?"

"No, I'm just a man who did my job that's all... I have never told anybody these things...not Joe, not even Catherine..."

"You're blowing me away here man. Thank you. Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me these things"

"I need you to understand why I went into this alone. It's not that I don't trust you or that I didn't feel you could handle the situation. Hell Danny, I trust you with my life... I just couldn't risk losing you. You and Gracie...Chin and Kono...you've become family to me and I will do anything to protect you. Wo-Fat was taking everyone I loved and I wasn't going to leave Japan with him still being alive"

"Are you the one who killed him?"  
>"Yes...one of my men had shot him in the shoulder...but I beat him to death Danny. I've never ever felt rage like that...I kept hitting him and hitting him until Joe pulled me off...I was covered in his blood Danny..."<p>

Danny looked at his friend, "That's how you broke your hand?"  
>Steve nodded looking down at his hands, clenching his unbroken left hand into a fist.<br>Danny reached over and grabbed Steve's hand in his. "It's okay partner, it's over and it's going to be okay now"

"He told me…..she kept calling for me…..I wasn't there when she needed me most Danny…..Oh God"  
>Steve's hand was shaking in Danny's and his shoulders heaved,<p>

"Buddy, Catherine knew how much you loved her. This wasn't your fault brother…...Wo-Fat did everything he could to destroy you…...you stopped him Steve...don't let him win, don't let him win"

The men sat quietly for several minutes staring out at the ocean and sipping their beers.

Danny eventually broke the silence, "From what you tell me about these men you served with I must come off like a whimp"

Steve looked to his partner, "Don't ever say that man. I've been through hell and back with those men and I will always have a special bond with them. I'll always be there if they need me...forever. But Danno, you have saved me partner. You're the best friend I've ever had and I would die for you brother. You...you keep me sane"

"Me? I keep you sane? Well you know buddy boy, you drive me crazy!"

Both men chuckled and then Danny's voice softened and he added, "Seriously though, other than Gracie, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I love you man and I'm very proud to be your friend and partner"

Steve grinned at his partner, "I love you too Danno...Thank you"

THE END

*********THANK YOU ALL for the nice reviews - I hope you all enjoyed the ending************


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